Broncos coach Vic Fangio says rookie QB Drew Lock could begin season on IR
X-rays came back negative after a thumb injury scare for Denver Broncos quarterback Drew Lock, but it looks like the second-round rookie could still miss some serious time.
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Broncos head coach Vic Fangio conceded to reporters Thursday that Lock could potentially end up on injured reserve due to a severely sprained right thumb, according to ESPN’s Jeff Legwold.
From ESPN:
Asked Thursday if putting Lock on injured reserve was now a possibility if his recovery time was slated to include part of the regular season, Fangio said: "Yeah, it could be if we don't think he can play for a while. The bad thing about it is because of the injury he can't do much.''
Lock also reportedly told reporters that he isn’t sure when he will be able to throw a football again, after an MRI confirmed the sprain. He will be limited to conditioning work for the remainder of the preseason.
The injury in question occurred during the Broncos’ second preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers.
The Broncos picked up Lock with the 42nd overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft and appeared to position the Missouri grad as their quarterback of the future. With his development halted for now, it will be offseason addition Joe Flacco holding the reins of the Broncos offense for the foreseeable future.
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If Lock ends up on IR, he’ll be out until at least Week 8 and would be allowed to practice against after Week 6. In the meantime, Lock apparently has some interesting plans how to stay engaged.
Drew Lock said he will use the team's virtual reality equipment while recovering from his thumb injury. "We have the VR stuff upstairs that's going to be heavily used."
Lock used VR while Missouri. That he's using it here is notable ...— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) August 22, 2019
The 22-year-old Lock set a number of records while at Missouri, earning first-team SEC honors after throwing for a conference-record 44 touchdowns in 2017. Even if he’s sidelined for several weeks, he still figures to be a major part of the Broncos’ future.
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