Cowboys to Show Trade Interest in Former Starting QB?

Drew Lock

Getty Drew Lock #3 of the Denver Broncos.

If the Dallas Cowboys‘ backup quarterback is not on the roster, he might be on the Denver Broncos roster. But not for much longer, perhaps.

In naming Teddy Bridgewater the starting QB, Broncos head coach Vic Fangio hinted Wednesday that third-year incumbent Drew Lock could soon hit the trade block.

“His pocket awareness has improved, his command of the offense has improved, his accuracy has improved,” Fangio lauded, in a possible attempt to boost Lock’s NFL stock. “I don’t have any doubt that Drew is going to be a quality starting quarterback in this league.”

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Need-to-Know Info

The 42nd overall pick of the 2019 draft, Lock has made 18 starts across his first two seasons in Denver. He went 4-1 as a rookie before suffering through an injury-plagued, pandemic-marred 2020 campaign in which the 6-foot-4, 228-pound passer completed 57.3% of his balls for 2,933 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions over 13 appearances.

Consistently inconsistent to this point, Lock is buoyed by high-end arm talent and improvisational skills but hampered by inaccuracy and turnover-prone proclivities. The Missouri product appeared to take a leap forward in 2021, committing no interceptions in Denver’s two preseason victories and punctuating its Aug. 14 blowout of Minnesota with an 80-yard TD bomb.

“I feel like at the time, I was playing some of the best football I’ve played since I’ve been in the league,” Lock told reporters Wednesday. “I was more confident than I’d ever been. Most of you guys think of me as a confident guy, but I was probably more confident than I’ve been since I’ve been in the league in this OTAs, this training camp, this preseason.”

Lock, 24, is under contract through 2022 with remaining salary-cap figures of $1,912,041 and $2,230,715. The Broncos would save $1,132,348 in cap space by dealing him prior to October’s trade deadline.

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Dallas Also Linked to Stidham

The Cowboys announced a QB switch for Sunday’s preseason finale against Jacksonville — out goes Garrett Gilbert, in comes Cooper Rush, who “earned this opportunity” to start, according to head coach Mike McCarthy.

Should neither Rush nor Gilbert demonstrate enough to secure the full-time backup job behind Dak Prescott, the club, as mentioned, may turn to the outside market. There, they’ll likely stumble upon a few options, such as Lock or New England’s Jarrett Stidham. The latter of whom recently was proposed for trade by media outlet Sportsnaut.com.

Stuck as the Patriots’ No. 4 quarterback behind Cam Newton, Mac Jones and Brian Hoyer, there’s a darn good chance that this former fourth-round pick will be moved ahead of Week 1. It could come via the waiver wire or a potential trade.

Either way, the Auburn product becomes a real option for Dallas. He’s still only 25 years old and was held in high regard by the Patriots’ brass prior to some inconsistencies as a sophomore last season. Not only would Stidham act as an upgrade, he’d potentially be a long-term option behind Dak in Big D.


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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL