Is Drew Lock going to start? Well, he’s going to dress

In another step toward making Drew Lock a starter in Denver, the Broncos will activate Lock from the injured reserve list this weekend.

The Denver Broncos have decided to activate Drew Lock from injured reserve, meaning the rookie quarterback will suit up Sunday against the Los Angele Chargers.

Broncos coach Vic Fangio confirmed the news Friday, but the Broncos stopped short of naming him the starter. Lock has taken first-team reps the past three days, but he hasn’t been named the No. 1 quarterback, just yet.

All signs still point toward Lock making his first NFL start this Sunday.

Lock went down in the preseason with a hand injury and was placed on IR after making the 53-man roster. Because the Broncos chose to wait to place the second-round pick on the IR list, they were able to bring Lock back as one of their two designated-to-return players.

He began practicing earlier this month and Denver had until early next week to activate him. After he split reps this past week, and reportedly took over as the top signal-caller for most snaps, it was almost a certainty that he was going to dress Sunday. Friday’s announcement confirms what most believed.

Now it’s a wait-and-see game to know if the former Mizzou football quarterback will start. Brandon Allen has been the starter for the past three games after starter Joe Flacco was placed on injured reserve for the rest of the season. Allen went 1-2 in his three games and had a rough outing last weekend against the Buffalo Bills.

With Lock a high draft pick, most expected the Broncos to turn to the rookie when he was healthy. It appears now is that time.

The 3-8 Broncos have five games remaining, starting Sunday with the Los Angeles Chargers. After that, Denver hits the road for games against the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs before wrapping up the season with home games against the Detroit Lions and the Oakland Raiders.

It’s more than likely that Lock plays, and starts, in all five of those games.