The short-term plan for Drew Lock is becoming more clear

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Drew Lock quite literally took his first steps back on the practice field on Tuesday.

“He did okay,” Vic Fangio said on Wednesday, evaluating Lock’s first practice since August. “He took some scout team snaps… He did fine.”

Despite the rather anticlimactic practice on Tuesday, the highly-anticipated second-round pick said it was “a dream come true” being back on the practice field.

“It’s like I’m starting my journey back in the NFL all over again,” Lock said beaming. “It feels good to finally be back out there with the guys. It’s different because you’re involved with the team when you’re not practicing, but it doesn’t feel the same when you’re not actually out there doing it with them. And then to finally be out there and be around the guys and toss the ball around, it felt really good.”

But future, metaphorical, steps and the “plan” for Lock after his first joyful practice have been a mystery. However, on Wednesday, those plans, at least for the short-term, became slightly more clear.

After one practice under Lock’s belt taking only scout-team reps, it’s “probably not” possible the rookie will be the Broncos’ backup quarterback on Sunday. The team will instead likely stick with fellow rookie Brett Rypien for a second-straight game.

“I want to play. Bad,” Lock emphasized on Wednesday, not holding his emotions back.

But despite not being activated on Sunday, Lock will continue to make progress on the practice field. Lock will take team snaps during Wednesday’s practice, a step up from Tuesday’s practice where he was limited to the scout team.

Additionally, in order to open up reps for all three quarterbacks, the offense will get more plays during practice than the defense.

“I’m ready for whatever they throw at me,” Lock said. “Whatever their plan is, I’ll be here ready and ready for ‘em.”

Sitting at 3-6, and two and a half games back of the Chiefs for the division lead, Fangio said both winning games and developing a quarterback are his priority.

“I always say our priority is winning games, but developing players, not just quarterbacks, is always a priority. And Brandon [Allen] is one of those players, along with Drew,” Fangio stated. “Again, Drew hasn’t done anything. Yesterday, Tuesday, was the first time he’s been on the practice field since early August. So there’s a lot of work to be done.”

Lock will most likely be without his No. 3 jersey on Sunday against the Vikings for another week. After that, well, there’s still a lot of work to be done.