Lock has sprained thumb

The Broncos have fired OC Rich Scangarello after 1 year on the job and replaced him with Pat Shurmur. Shurmur has struggled as a HC but had some strong seasons as an OC with the Eagles and Vikings. He's a pass-leaning play-caller, with 9 of his 11 teams ranking higher in pass attempts than rush attempts. Shurmur's top priority in Denver will be maximizing QB Drew Lock's skill set.

ESPN's Adam Schefter confirms that Broncos QB Drew Lock will make his 1st career start against the Chargers today. The 42nd overall pick of this spring's draft had an up-and-down career at Missouri, completing 57% of his passes and averaging 7.9 yards per attempt with 99 TDs vs. 39 INTs across 4 seasons. Lock boasts plenty of arm strength and is a plus athlete -- but accuracy and decision-making are the concerns. He's just a QB2 flier in Week 13 fantasy lineups. The Chargers DST remains a strong play today.

Broncos QB Drew Lock (thumb) is expected to be activated from the IR, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The rookie has taken the majority of the 1st-team reps in practice this week and seems to be in line to make his debut against the Chargers on Sunday. Lock struggled to a 60.8% completion rate and 5.0 yards per attempt this preseason. Pro Football Focus ranked him 35th in their preseason passing grades among 39 qualifying QBs. Lock is a bottom-barrel QB2 for Week 13. We'll see if he's an upgrade over QB Brandon Allen for Denver's pass-catchers.

The Broncos traded up to select Missouri QB Drew Lock with the 42nd pick of the 2019 NFL Draft. Lock was commonly mocked to Denver with the 10th pick but ends up dropping into Round 2. Lock looks the part: 6’4, 228 pounds with a big arm. But he was inconsistent throughout his 4 years at Missouri, completing just 56.9% of his passes. Lock did post a career-best 62.9% completion rate this past season, to go along with 28 TDs vs. 8 INTs. But he ranked just 13th in this draft class in both adjusted completion rate and adjusted completion rate vs. the blitz. Lock’s best asset is his deep ball. Only 3 QBs in this class finished with a better adjusted completion rate on throws 20+ yards downfield. He’s also a plus athlete, earning a 76th percentile SPARQ score at the Combine. So Lock might tally more rushing production as a pro than he did at Missouri. He figures to sit behind Joe Flacco for most or all of 2019 but should get a shot at the starting gig in 2020.

Check out Drew Lock's scouting report.