Don't expect a quarterback change in Denver quite yet despite a 2-5 start with veteran Joe Flacco under center.
Broncos general manager John Elway told reporters Thursday that rookie Drew Lock isn't ready to return from injured reserve as he continues to recover from a thumb injury on his right (throwing) hand.
"I will say this: The most important thing for a young quarterback is not to put him out there before he's ready," Elway said (per The Athletic). "So that is the most important thing, and if he's not ready, we're not going to put him out there. That is the key thing.
"And as you know dealing with quarterbacks, it's a very tough thing because if you don't put him in a situation where he has a chance to be successful and he's not successful, the whole roof will cave in. So we have to make sure that Drew is ready when he does get in there, if he does get in there. ... We're still in the process of evaluating that. He is not ready to go right now, I will tell you that."
Coach Vic Fangio said last week that Lock is expected to return to the practice field soon. He opened his NFL career on IR after spraining his thumb in a preseason loss to the 49ers.
"(I'm) trusting the (training) staff in there to get me back as soon as possible,'' Lock said in August. "Whenever that is, we'll decide on whenever I'm 100% ready to go.''
The Missouri product slipped to the second round of the 2019 draft, where the Broncos selected him with the No. 42 overall pick. He completed 31 of his 51 passes for 254 yards with a touchdown and an interception in three preseason appearances.
Elway's update comes after Denver fell, 30-6, to the Chiefs in Week 7 as Flacco completed 21 of 34 passes for 213 yards with no touchdowns. So far this season, the veteran has completed 65.7 percent of his passes for 1,648 yards with six touchdowns and five interceptions.
The Broncos travel to Indianapolis to face the Colts (4-2) on Sunday with kickoff set for 1 p.m. ET.