Why the Broncos are postponing Drew Lock’s possible return again

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Drew Lock was eligible to return to the practice field leading up to the Chiefs game in Week 7.

Due to the short week of playing on Thursday night, the team didn’t have any true practices, and thus, decided it wasn’t worth starting the 21-day clock on him or Jake Butt or Theo Riddick, the two other players eligible to return to practice in Week 7.

A week later, not only do the Broncos have a full week of practice as they play on Sunday, they had an extra practice due to the long weekend on Tuesday. But despite the practice schedule falling perfectly for the three players on the injured reserve to return to practice, none will step on the field in Week 8, Vic Fangio announced on Wednesday, after the three were sidelined for Tuesday’s practice.

This is a change of course, too.

On Friday, the day after the 30-6 meltdown against the Chiefs, Fangio stated that all of the players on the I.R. that were eligible to practice would do so starting in Week 8.

So what changed over the course of the long weekend?

“We just want to get a little bit more information. We’ve got I believe four of them out there and you can only bring two back from designation,” Fangio stated on Wednesday, explaining the change. “So we’re just looking to get more information. None of them are ready to play right now. So we’re just trying to postpone that as much as possible.”

On Tuesday, John Elway admitted Tim Patrick would be back after the bye week when Denver plays the Vikings in Minnesota in Week 11. On Wednesday, Fangio added the 6-foot-4 receiver “probably” will be one the team’s two players designated to return and that the plan is to have Patrick return to practice on Monday. He wasn’t eligible to return to practice with the other three players since he played in the team’s season opener.

Since it appears Patrick is a near certainty to return to the 53-man roster, that only leaves one spot left for a player to return to the active roster off the I.R.

Along with Lock, Butt, Riddick and Patrick, De’Vante Bausby is the only other player eligible to return from the I.R., although it is highly unlikely he will play this season as he wouldn’t be eligible to return until Week 14.

If Patrick is, in fact, one of the two brought back, as Elway himself stated, that leaves one spot for Lock, Butt and Riddick.

As a source told DNVR after the loss to the Chiefs, it’s not a guarantee the team brings Lock back, despite the team sitting at 2-5 and Joe Flacco sitting in the bottom half of nearly every statistical category.

As of now, there is no date of return set for Lock, Butt or Riddick.