With the Denver Broncos heading into a younger age, especially on offense, former quarterback great and Hall of Famer turned top executive John Elway is trying to slow down the hype train for rising sophomore quarterback Drew Lock and crew, via Denver7 ABC's Troy Renck on Twitter.
“But there's nothing like being on the practice field, so it's going to be a slow build, and the expectations of Drew — I mean he did play well for fives games, but that was only five games last year. Didn't have the offseason this year, which … for young football players is always very, very important.
“I know he did spend a lot of time throwing to the receivers, getting the timing [right]. … We're very, very young on the offense side, with the way training camp is set up — I always remember as a rookie it was important to see other helmets.
“With our young team, that doesn't help us. I was hoping for a couple of preseason games just because we're so young on the offensive side.”
#Broncos Elway said have to temper expectations for @DrewLock23 and young offense. Had hoped for 2 preseason games. All in same spot. Can’t complain about. Have to adjust. #Denver7 pic.twitter.com/CEfUqyFEzU
— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) July 28, 2020
The Broncos selected standout Alabama wide receiver Jerry Jeudy with the 15th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft in April—their top selection in the draft—along with taking Penn State wideout KJ Hamler in the second round to fortify Lock's developing pass-catching corps.
The NFL initially reduced the number of preseason games this summer from four to two, but upon further consultation with the NFLPA (players union), the league decided against playing any exhibition games before the 2020 regular season.
For young players, more reps and more games are simply a must to gain experience of any kind, particularly at the professional level. Thus, the Broncos and their young offense may be hard-pressed to compete against opponents going directly into the regular season, making it more of an adjustment.
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