New week, same question for Broncos quarterback Drew Lock. 

Is he Denver’s quarterback of the future?

Lock’s been heavily criticized in his two years with the Broncos, making 16 starts — five last year and 11 so far this season. He’s thrown for 3,350 yards, 21 touchdowns and 16 interceptions, posting an 8-8 record as a starter. This year, he ranks 26th in passing yards (2,330), 22nd in passing touchdowns (14), 26th in quarterback rating (51.4),  34th in passer rating (75.4) and 35th in completion percentage (57.7). 

“The quarterback is the most important position on the field, and everyone wants to talk about it. Everyone thinks they can play it better than what they’re seeing on the TV, so it’s just an easy position for people to talk about and gossip about,” Lock said Wednesday. “I do believe I’m the guy here. With progressing over time with this offense and hopefully getting another year in the same offense, the sky is the limit for us as a young team. We learned a lot this year. We’re going to keep learning and keep making plays, and hopefully win these last two and look forward to going into the next season.”

Lock may believe he’s the guy moving forward, but that will not be his decision. Ultimately, it’ll be up to President of Football Operations/General Manager John Elway, who drafted Lock in the second round in 2019. 

Elway spoke about Lock on Tuesday to DenverBroncos.com managing editor Ben Swanson, saying he thinks Lock has shown “that there’s some bright spots there, and he’s done a heck of a job in a lot of situations. But to be able to be good and be great in this league, you’ve got to play with consistency and eliminate the mistakes. That’s what we’re looking for out of Drew, is hopefully eliminate some of those mistakes and keep showing us the things that he can do.”

The mistakes Elway is referring to are Lock’s turnovers — 13 interceptions and three fumbles lost this season. He’s tied for second in the league in interceptions this year and third in the league in total turnovers. Lock said sometimes his best attribute can turn into his biggest mistakes. 

“One of the best things about my game is — and it ends up sometimes getting me, but one of the best things is being able to turn a bad play into a good one,” Lock said. “Being able to extend drives with my feet and make some throws that the average person couldn’t make. Sometimes when I try to make those throws, my timing in the moment to try to make that throw wouldn’t be the best. They kind of coexist.”

Coach Vic Fangio said Lock’s talent and potential is clearly there, it’s more about progressing each week, which he’s done the past two weeks as he’s combined to throw for 412 yards, five touchdowns and zero interceptions.

“He makes a lot of good plays, good throws, makes good plays with his feet, he’s athletic, can avoid the pressure, can scramble and make plays,” Fangio said. “We just need to see more of it. Keep improving in all the little things that Drew can improve on. Nobody’s working harder than him to do that. He has the great want to and the great drive to be a great quarterback. We just hope to see constant improvement from him.” 

These last two games will likely play a large role in the direction Elway decides to go, whether that’s sticking with Lock or looking elsewhere by potentially bringing in a Matthew Stafford from Detroit or Carson Wentz from Philadelphia or Sam Darnold for the New York Jets or drafting a rookie quarterback, if the opportunity presents itself. 

Lock says he’s not worried about that yet. All he wants to do is win these last two games. 

“I think the biggest thing in this league is winning games,” Lock said. “I want to win these last two with whatever it takes, whether that’s me handing the ball off 50 times or it’s me throwing it 50 times. Whatever it’s going to take for us to win this game, it’s my job to play my best football to help us go do that.”