Broncos GM: 'We want to bring in competition' for Lock

One week before the 2021 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos aren't satisfied with their quarterback depth chart.

Broncos general manager George Paton declined to endorse Drew Lock as Denver's starter for the upcoming campaign Thursday, stressing the importance of competition instead.

"I don't know about (the) Week 1 (starter)," Paton said, according to 9News' Mike Klis. "We're really high on Drew. I like seeing Drew here every morning when I come in. He's working hard. He's trending in the right direction.

He added: "As you know, (Lock) has a lot of talent. He's becoming a better pro. But we're still going to look at the quarterback position. I've said since I got here, we want to bring in competition. And that's the goal, and we plan on doing that."

The Broncos are currently slated to pick ninth overall in next week's draft, but the team has been linked to a potential trade to move up and select one of the top quarterback prospects.

While Paton appears to be prioritizing the game's most important position ahead of the 2021 season, he's insistent that trading future assets to address it isn't necessarily the wisest move.

"I understand (the anxiety from fans)," he said. "We do like Drew Lock. What we don't want to do is force it. We don't want to ... overpay a guy to bring in, and he's maybe not as good as the guy we have. ... We still have time. There's a trade market, the draft."

Lock started 13 games during his sophomore campaign last year, earning a 4-9 record. The 24-year-old threw for 16 touchdowns and tied Carson Wentz for the league lead with 15 interceptions.