The Broncos need to be careful to not rush Drew Lock back into the lineup

As it looks right now, the Broncos 2020 season is already done. With all due respect to the players still playing, the injuries are too much for Denver to overcome.

The one injury that is the most damaging is the injury to quarterback Drew Lock.

The development of Lock was always going to be the true measure of success for this Broncos season. The win-loss record is important, of course, but if Lock continued his trajectory toward becoming a franchise quarterback, then the season was a win regardless of the final record.

Lock is expected to miss three to six weeks with a shoulder injury. If the Broncos were smart, they’d wait the full six weeks before letting their quarterback on the field.

If Lock returns too soon and re-injures the shoulder and misses more time, the season is worthless. Putting Lock back behind center before he’s 100 percent is not a risk worth taking.

Lock missing six games still gives the Broncos 10 games to evaluate. If he misses more than that, they’re stuck not fully knowing what they have. Or worse, Lock suffers an injury that he’s never able to come back from.

Shoulder injuries can be hard on a quarterback. Brian Griese was having an amazing season in 2000 until a shoulder injury ended his campaign. Griese never seemed the same after that injury.

We can all agree, Trevor Siemian was never going to be the franchise quarterback for the Broncos. That doesn’t change the fact that his career was altered after he suffered a shoulder injury in 2016. Siemian’s shoulder injury would later require surgery. Again, he never was going to the Hall of Fame, but once his shoulder was injured, we saw a steep decline in his play.

There was a lot of optimism heading into the 2020 Broncos season. That optimism existed because of Lock. The injury shouldn’t derail the Broncos belief in Lock. If they truly believe he is the guy, then don’t risk his long-term future so he can play in three games in a season that is likely to end with a .500 record at best.

Further, the Broncos have spent recent offseasons approaching the draft unsure if they should draft a quarterback. If Lock isn’t the guy, they need to know now. They need to evaluate the best version of Drew Lock. If Lock plays injured, they can’t accurately judge his long-term value.

Bradley Chubb and Courtland Sutton have both been placed back on the field before they were fully healed. Sutton has since been re-injured, while Chubb has been ineffective and sitting out practices. It’s clear rushing injured players back onto the field doesn’t yield winning results and is also detrimental to the health and growth of young players.

Lock finished his rookie season winning four of the five games he started. He was healthy from a thumb injury. If the Broncos are thinking playoffs, their best bet is a run in the second half of the season. Lock has proven when he’s healthy, he can lead the Broncos on a winning streak.

Since Peyton Manning retired, the Broncos have taken on a get-rich-quick approach to building the team, hoping to cut corners to get back to the playoffs. It’s time the organization exercises patience.

Once you have your franchise quarterback, the pieces around him can change over the years while still finding success. Russell Wilson continues to excel even though the supporting cast is ever changing. If you don’t have an elite quarterback, you don’t have a winning team.

Given the multitude of injuries to impact players, I don’t think anybody is going to be mad if the Broncos miss the playoffs. The Broncos may have finally found their next franchise quarterback with Lock. He’s injured, and there is no justifiable reason to ruin a potential decade-plus of success to win three games in a season that is already lost.