George Paton is the Broncos’ new GM, and he’s got his work cut out for him during his first offseason at the helm. Several big decisions loom, including what to do with Von Miller and at quarterback. Speaking to the media Thursday, Paton got into all that and more.
We’ve heard that the Broncos are preparing to franchise tag safety Justin Simmons for the second year in a row, but it sounds like they really want to get an extension done. “Justin is one of our core guys. Our goal is to sign him to a long-term deal,” Paton said, via a tweet from Troy Renck of ABC Denver 7. Simmons seems to be on the same page, reiterating in a recent interview with Sirius XM NFL radio (Twitter link) that he wants to be with the Broncos for the future. “It seems like Denver wants me back, and I want to be there,” Simmons said in part.
As for Miller, he’s got an option that guarantees him significant money that needs to be picked up by March 16th. We’ve heard the team wants him to take a bit of a pay-cut to return in 2021, and Paton said that he’s still working through the details of the option with his agent. “We want to bring Von back. Obviously the legal process, it’s a serious situation. I don’t know all the details. But respect what’s going on. But we do want Von back.” Paton was referring of course to the legal investigation that stems from allegations made by his ex-fiancee. Even with that looming, it sounds like Paton wants to keep the franchise icon in the fold if the financials can work.
Phillip Lindsay is a restricted free agent since he’s a former UDFA, and Paton said the team wants him back as well. “Phillip’s a good player, very passionate. Obviously had some injuries last year. He’s a good player, brings energy, brings juice. He’s a restricted free agent, we do plan on tendering him. I’m not sure what level but we want Phillip here,” he said, via Mike Klis of Denver 9 News (Twitter link).
Meanwhile, Klis writes that fellow restricted free agent receiver Tim Patrick is expected to get a second-round tender from the Broncos. That would pay him around $3.4MM in 2021. Patrick is coming off a career year where he had 746 yards and six touchdowns. If the team decides $3.4MM is too steep for Lindsay as a split-time running back, they’d tender him at the original-round level, which would mean a team signing him to an offer sheet wouldn’t have to give up any draft pick.
Finally, Paton also talked about the elephant in the room, Drew Lock and his job security. “Obviously did a deep dive with Drew. Very talented, was inconsistent at times. Has a lot to work on. I’ve spoken with Drew, he’s here every day. He’s here early. He really wants to be great,” Paton said, before adding “we’re always going to try and bring in competition at every position and quarterback as well. But I like the track that Drew is on,” Klis tweets.
Those certainly don’t sound like the words of someone who’s committed to Lock as his 2021 starter. Things are up in the air, but we should continue to expect Denver to sniff around potential upgrades while having Lock as the fall-back option if nothing falls into their laps.
Lock is a wash-out, but you can’t be using your first round pick year after year to find a franchise quarterback, as the rest of your roster suffers. Surround the clown with pro-bowl picks until his contract is done, then decide what really needs to be done.
Or trade for Watson and flesh out the rest of the roster
Lock has only played 16 games. It’s a little early to says he’s a wash out or call him a clown. Fans like you wanted to run Bolles out of town too! Give players time to develop, instead of giving up on them after one season of games.
Lock had the 29th rated QBR in 2020, and the 38th rated QBR in 2019. Not to mention the guy can’t read a coverage and has no touch. Every pass is forced into coverage which of course is why he had a league leading number of interceptions. If you have an argument for how he’s not the worst quarterback in the league please let us hear it,
Koreadogs has a good point, but I have to agree with MileHighFan. Lock’s problem is not that he CAN’T play well, it’s that he just doesn’t. The troubling thing about him is that he makes the exact same mistakes over and over-not setting his feet, getting overconfident in his ability to place balls in windows, trying too hard for the big play, ignoring check downs or panicking, missing blitzes…he just makes a mistake in a situation one week and then has a play that looks like a carbon copy of that play the next week (or even the next series sometimes).
Two things make it hard for me to say this, and those things are as follows: Drew Lock really, really loves football and really gives it his absolute last gasp of effort on the field. He obviously lays it all out there for his teammates and usually plays much better in the second half when he feels that he needs to make up for his mistakes. I can respect that, but those mistakes are what necessitates the team having to eke out so many close games. The second thing is that I do not have much confidence in the Broncos’ quarterback development staff. There’s no established offensive team identity present in Denver to fall back on and I can’t recall much evidence to support Shurmur’s ability to develop a young QB. Mike Shula has been much worse (or at least much more mediocre) in previous stops (Carolina in particular) than Shurmur.
I admire Lock’s tenacity and his commitment to the Broncos and his understanding of his shortcomings, but he will need a massive Bolles-like jump next year to even be considered promising. And consider, before further comparisons to Bolles are made, that Bolles’ surge came about at the same time that the by far best offensive line coach in the league came to Denver (Mike Munchak). Lock has Shurmur and Shula in comparison. I know he’s young, but he hasn’t shown any further development than who he was in college. We expect mistakes from a young player, but we also expect him to at least not repeat so many of them.
Well as the 29th rated QB he is clearly 2 spots better than the worst. I kid, I kid. All I’m saying if Lock has a ton of talent and to throw him over board for what? Gutting the team for Watson? Watson won 4 games with a bad defense is Houston. I’m not saying Lock doesn’t need to improve, but to act like is a closed book one season worth of games, especially after the crazy offseason, change of OC, losing Sutton and otherwise having a bunch other young players around him is dumb.
Easy argument: Mitchell Trubisky.
East counter: Josh Allen
Plus Trubisky is four years into his career, not one it’s not even the same thing. Bring is a vet/bridge QB, if Lock stumbles this year you move on. But after one season that what bad teams do and Denver has been doing, changing the QB every year, how’s that working out?
*easy
And for those of us old enough to remember, Terry Bradshaw, who was god awful his first fours years in the league, and was even benched for part of his fifth season, the Steelers’ first Super Bowl year.
Go get Jameis Winston. $3.5MM, like last season, but with incentives on the amount of games he starts.
What a train wreck of a franchise.