Report: Broncos Had To ‘Dummy Down’ Playbook For Drew Lock

It’s been a rough couple of years for the Denver Broncos, capped off by this past year’s 5-11 misery of a season.

A big reason for the Broncos’ recent struggles has been their inability to find a quality quarterback since the Payton Manning era. In 2020, the man behind center was no less than Drew Lock — and the jury is still very much out on him.

That’s especially the case after a report that the Broncos had to “dummy down” the playbook for Lock. The report comes from Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline, who detailed a wide array of quarterback topics in a video chat.

“I have heard everything from ‘people are not sold on Drew Lock’ to ‘people are down on Drew Lock’…. we know that Drew Lock has had flashes and had his moments,” Pauline said. “He’s also had a lot of injuries. What I found out at the Senior Bowl is the Denver Broncos had to kind of slim down the playbook, take things out of the playbook that Drew Lock can’t run… They (the Broncos’ offensive coaching staff) almost had to dummy down the playbook so Drew Lock can handle it. That’s a major concern.”

Lock, 24, just completed his second NFL season, so he probably deserves more time. It was also his first full season as a full-time starter, and he undoubtedly showed flashes on his way to throwing for 2,933 yards and 16 touchdowns.

But he was also picked off 15 times and finished with a 75.4 passer rating. The idea that he may not know or understand the entire playbook … well, that is where the concern enters the picture. If there’s one guy who should be able to direct the offense on the field, it’s the quarterback. Clearly, the Broncos still aren’t sure they have their man.