The most important relationship in the Broncos organization is off to a great start

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — There’s an interesting dynamic going on with the Broncos this year.

While, of course, the team getting back on track this season is extremely important, the development of one guy who may not even see the field is as, if not more important in the grand scheme of things.

Denver simply needs Drew Lock to eventually become the guy, which highlights just how important new offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello is to the organization. Not only is he being entrusted with rejuvenating an offense that has been abysmal for years, he is being counted on to get the future of the franchise ready.

In the end, though, that’s the reason Scangarello was brought here. First of all, he is well versed in the Shanahan offense that John Elway so desperately wants to run, and second, he has put together a pretty impressive track record of developing QBs.

When Jimmy Garoppolo took the league by storm during his first stretch of games with the 49ers, it was Scangarello who quickly got him ready to play in an offense he had never seen.

Then, in his most impressive act yet, the 47-year-old took a former undrafted rookie in Nick Mullens—a player he pounded the table for during the UDFA selection process—and produced a respectable NFL quarterback. Thrust into the starting role after a string of injuries, Mullens completed 64 percent of his passes while throwing for 2,277 yards and 13 touchdowns in just eight games.

As he tries to re-create the magic with a far more talented player in Lock, the first step, which is the relationship between the two, is off to a fantastic start.

“Coach Scangarello is 100 percent the man. I love that guy.” Lock said after the team’s first practice of training camp with a massive smile. “He teaches in such an awesome way to where he’ll let you go out there and make a mistake and not rip you for it unless you go back out there and do it again. Coming from a quarterback standpoint, I like that kind of coaching. Let us go out there and fail a little bit, throw everything at us and once we come back, kind of dial it in, get in the meeting room and really teach on the board and teach on the film.”

What’s interesting is that is all by design. It’s a whole lot easier for Scangarello to allow Lock to learn the hard way because the offensive coordinator isn’t counting on the rookie to lead the team out on the field come September.

“I mean, I think every situation is different. But no matter what, your first time playing, there’s going to be a growth experience,” Scangarello told BSN Denver this offseason. “I think, a lot of times, guys play early, and they’re not on good football teams, and that can wreck their confidence and hurt them. I also think that if you’re on a veteran football team, you can slow other people down when you’re not ready, as well.”

“It’s about finding the mesh that’s in between, and everyone’s situation is different,” he added. “But if I had my choice, yeah, I’d rather a veteran be there, have a good football team and have the young guy have an opportunity when he’s at his best and most confident.”

There you have it. With the “good football team” part being the only box left to check off, Rich Scangarello has things set up exactly the way he wants them.

He has Joe Flacco, who he told BSN he is “absolutely” bullish on, and he now has Lock in a situation where he can develop the young quarterback at what he believes is the right pace.

So far, so good.

“Something that he’s really good at is being able to explain things on the board,” Lock explained. “A lot of guys need to come out here and run through everything in real life, but he’s super good at teaching you and getting you ready in the quarterback room rather than having to take a full, live rep.”

The rookie has the right mindset, and he’s in lockstep with the man in charge of maximizing his potential. There are a lot of variables that go into the development of a young quarterback, but having those two boxes checked off is reason enough for optimism.

Rich Scangarello has a lot on his plate, but he’s showing early that he has a big appetite.

“He has exceeded my expectations,” head coach Vic Fangio said on the eve of camp. “I have been very pleased.”