Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Drew Lock (thumb) has returned to practice and he is eligible to play but the team is in no rush to activate him from injured reserve to the 53-man roster.
Denver created an opening on the roster Tuesday when fullback Andy Janovich (elbow) was placed on injured reserve. Instead of filling Janovich’s roster spot by activating Lock, the Broncos instead signed tight end/fullback Orson Charles.
That wasn’t a surprising decision because with Andrew Beck playing fullback, Noah Fant and Troy Fumagalli were the only healthy tight ends on the roster before the team adding Charles. Even so, it appears that Denver might wait another week to bring back Lock.
“We’ll continue what we did last week, get him reps both on the scout team and get him some reps with the offense and see how he’s progressing,” Broncos coach Vic Fangio said of Lock on Monday.
Fangio was then asked if Lock will serve as the backup QB for Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills. That’s “unlikely, but possible,” the coach said. Undrafted rookie Brett Rypien has served as Brandon Allen‘s backup for the last two games.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see Denver activate Lock next week. The second-round draft choice will probably be starting by season’s end.
