Ever since Peyton Manning retired after the 2015 season, the Broncos have been looking for their next franchise passer. In the immediate wake of Manning’s retirement, the team rotated through Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch, and Brock Osweiler. None were the answer. Neither was Case Keenum, who was brought in as a stopgap measure in 2018. Nor was Joe Flacco, who was signed this offseason but was never much better than average before a neck injury ended his season in Week 8.

But in Drew Lock, Broncos executive John Elway may have finally found his guy. It’s extremely early in Lock’s career (a hand injury caused him to miss the first half of the season, so he has only two starts under his belt), but the rookie is already showing potential. Lock, who was drafted out of Missouri with the 42nd overall pick in the 2019 draft, played about as well as any rookie passer has in years in Denver’s 38-24 win over the Texans on Sunday. He completed 22 of his 27 pass attempts for 309 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. The final score looks closer than the game actually was—Denver thrashed Houston, which is supposed to be a playoff team and maybe even a Super Bowl contender, thanks in large part to the electric play of their rookie under center.

Source: The Ringer