How long will it take for the Broncos to remove the “Handle with Care” stickers from the uniform of rookie quarterback Drew Lock?

Nobody, least of all his coach, seems to be in any real hurry for Lock to challenge veteran Joe Flacco for the starting job. And that’s fine. But am I the only one who thinks the Broncos have gone out of their way to handle Lock with kid gloves?

To my eyes and ears, coach Vic Fangio has been cautious with both his praise and reps for Lock at training camp. So when I asked Fangio what he’s looking for in young quarterbacks, who drink out the fountain of NFL knowledge through a fire hose, the coach calmly made a list of boxes to be checked.

“Don’t make the same mistake twice. Improvement, confidence, the ability to move on to the next play, no matter what happened the previous play,” Fangio said. “Be able to handle themselves in the huddle, be commanding out there and give the other 10 guys confidence that they know what they’re doing. That’s done two ways: 80 percent of it is performance, but 20 percent is how you carry yourself.”

Lock is a quarterback’s apprentice.

RELATED: Broncos Journal: 10 things through the first five training camp practices

“He’s getting better. I think he’s getting better,” said Fangio, again cautious in his praise of Lock. “He’s not what I would call … He’s not a union NFL quarterback yet, but he’s improving.”

I’m a firm believer you learn to sing by singing, not by listening to music. And a QB grows up quickest by playing, not watching. Lock will develop on the coach’s time table, not mine. So how will we know when Fangio thinks Lock is ready?

Does a card come with union certification?

“Maybe,” Fangio said.

Well, here’s an idea: Let’s issue Lock a union card. And get on with it.

John Elway, who has shaken so many trees looking for a QB he has bark under his nails, would not have traded up in the draft for Lock if the Broncos didn’t see something special in him at the University of Missouri. So pardon my puzzlement by Lock being treated less like fellow second-round pick Dalton Risner and more like undrafted free agent Kelvin McKnight in terms of the team’s urgency to develop a young player with skills.

As a quarterback, Kevin Hogan is a journeyman in training. He is 26 years old. He has played in eight NFL games. He did nothing spectacular in limited duty with Cleveland before arriving in Colorado. He figures to pull a paycheck in this league for more years than the average pro football player. All well and good. Nothing wrong with that. Related Articles Broncos Briefs: Phillip Lindsay doubtful to play Sunday, but progressing from toe injury

After Broncos let him walk in free agency, Tampa Bay’s Shaquil Barrett returns to Denver as one of NFL’s best pass-rushers

The next opportunity in Jeff Driskel’s winding football journey: Starting at quarterback for Broncos

Broncos rookie wideout KJ Hamler, fully healed from hamstring injury, poised for NFL breakout

🔊 Broncos podcast: Previewing Denver’s must-win Week 3 home showdown against Tampa Bay

But it seems to me the bonus date on Denver’s preseason schedule, when the Broncos head to Canton, Ohio, for the Hall of Fame game, would be the ideal time to give Lock a start and see what he can do at this point of his young career. If Lock isn’t good enough right now to take more snaps than Hogan, then can we reasonably expect him to be NFL-ready anytime during his rookie season? Redshirts are for QBs who don’t have a clue, not a guy capable of being the future face of the franchise.

How good does Lock look in a Broncos uniform? Well, maybe the best that can be said is he’s nothing like Paxton Lynch.

During his stop in Denver, Lynch seemed to be along for the ride in the family van to Disneyland. While Lock makes his share of rookie mistakes, there’s a swagger to him that indicates he takes great pleasure in beating anyone or anything in his way.

Great players do not wait patiently for their window of opportunity. Greatness is locked up behind a door. It’s a door that must be kicked in.