John Elway finally gives the endorsement we've been waiting for

INDIANAPOLIS — Lukewarm. Wait and see. Noncommittal.

That was John Elway’s attitude toward Drew Lock on Dec. 30, one day after the end of the 2019 season.

“We don’t like to show our hand, but I think it’s unrealistic to say we’re going a different direction,” Elway said when asked if Lock would be the starting quarterback in 2020. “I don’t see any [other] options right now.”

That was about as much of a milk-toast endorsement as can be given about any player, let alone the rising, young, hopeful quarterback.

Oh, how the times have changed.

In less than two months, the Broncos’ general manager has gone from soggy white bread on the future of his young quarterback, to signed, sealed, delivered—he’s John’s.

“We’re thrilled the way Drew finished—finished 4-1,” Elway said on Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, echoing a similar sentiment much of Broncos Country has felt toward Lock since he began playing in Week 13. “I think where we sit right now, there is no question that Drew is the guy that we’re looking to.”

The jubilant shouts of “Hallelujah” from Denver could nearly be heard inside the Indianapolis Convention Center as the Broncos’ general manager gave the endorsement Broncos Country has been craving.

“I think we are—since Peyton [Manning] retired—trying to look for that guy. It’s a tough position to fill,” Elway said, internally reflecting on the struggles the Broncos have had at quarterback since 2016. “Where we are, we’re excited about Drew. It’s nice to have a young guy to be able to build around and feel like you got a guy that has the potential to be a long-time starter for you. The sky’s the limit for him. It depends on how he continues to improve.”

Nothing about Drew changed in the past month and a half to give John stronger feelings for the former second-round pick. It appears Elway just needed time before opening up. Or, the spark turned into a full-blown flame as the offseason continued.

“Physically, I thought he was as good as anybody coming out last year,” Elway said, explaining what he liked about Lock during his rookie season. “Now the big question is always what’s inside, and that’s the hardest part about that position is figuring out what’s inside. I think Drew’s got that. So far, he’s got the “it” factor. He’s got the confidence to play the position. As I told him, the sky’s going to fall down, it’s going to come caving in. It’s how you handle when it caves in. I think he’s got the ability to do that because of the confidence he has in himself.”

For the first time in what feels like ages, Elway and Matt Russell aren’t making the two-hour flight to Indianapolis with quarterback atop their priority list. They’ve got their guy.

“It feels a little better coming here without having to worry about that position and knowing which direction you’re going to go,” Elway said with relief. “Again, I feel great about Drew, but he’s got a long way to go. It’s nice to have the excitement and the fact that you feel like you have a guy that has the possibility to be able to fit that bill. But then again, now it’s the fun part is trying to fill around him, get the right guys around him as well as take care of Vic and the defensive side.”

After spending over the first half of the season on injured reserve, the 6-foot-4, 228-pound quarterback took his five starts to end the season and ran with them. Not only did Lock compile a 4-1 record, he had better than a 2:1 touchdown to interception ratio and a 64.1 completion percentage.

On a per-game average, Drew’s five-game sample size was more than impressive.

“It’s a big jump from your first year to your second year, especially when you get to play as much as he got to play. So I think he’ll come into this offseason knowing a lot more than he did last year,” Elway said, significantly increasing expectations for Lock in 2020.

“This offseason, OTAs, and even going into camp, having him play, knowing what to expect, he’ll be leaps and bounds better—I hope—from where he was last year. And I thought he played very well last year. We just got to continue to help him get some people around him and give him a chance.”

Two weeks before Lock took the field for the first time, Vic Fangio warned of getting a false positive from a player only playing in five games. Despite playing in less than a third of the season, Elway laughed off the notion of Lock’s rookie season being a false positive.

“No. No,” he said with a dismissive chuckle. “I mean—It may be a false positive, but it was a positive, so that was a good thing. I’m taking all of those positives. Going into this offseason—I think what Drew’s about, I’m excited about it. We got to continue to get better around him and give him opportunities to be successful.”

Tuesday was a good day for Drew, believers of Lock, and especially for people who own the Orange & Blue No. 3 jersey.

Saying all of that, however, Elway will at least have a chat with Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. if TB12 hits free agency. And Tommy won’t be coming to Denver to be Drew’s backup.

“We’d always talk to him,” Elway said without hesitation. “But I think that we’re happy with what we have with Drew.”