Fans of the Denver Broncos have been waiting patiently to see Drew Lock make his NFL debut in 2019. While it's undecided when he will suit up, Denver is pleased with his ‘behind the scenes' progress per Mike Garafolo.

The Broncos selected Lock with the 42nd overall pick out of Missouri in this year's draft. When they drafted Lock, Denver's initial plan was to have him learn from Joe Flacco as the team's backup quarterback.

Instead, the rookie signal-caller suffered a sprained thumb on his right hand in the preseason. As a result, he was placed on injured reserve and has yet to be in uniform for the Broncos this season.

Last week, Lock was able to return to practice for the first time since injuring his thumb. That means that Denver will have to make the decision to activate him from injured reserve or keep him sidelined for the rest of the year by Week 13.

In recent weeks, the Broncos have been adamant that they want to give Lock a chance to start at quarterback before the season concludes. Given that information, fans should expect to see the Missouri product next week versus the Los Angeles Chargers.

Now, it remains to be seen if the team chooses to start in his first game back from injury. Over the team's past two games, Brandon Allen has started under center and totaled 433 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception.

Considering that the Broncos are out of the playoff race, getting a good look at Lock before the end of the season will be somewhat of a consolation prize for the fans.