The minute Peyton Manning officially announced his retirement, the discussion about the NFL veteran’s legacy shifted to "who will fill the top QB spot on the Broncos’ roster?" Many assumed Brock Osweiler would claim the starting job, because he did spend three years as Manning’s back-up. And after his performance during the 2015 season, it made the most sense that Osweiler would be the future of the Broncos organization. But, during the offseason, fans were thrown for a loop once it was announced Osweiler was leaving Denver for Houston. Just over one month after the Super Bowl, Osweiler signed a four-year contract worth an impressive $72 million.
So, with Manning and Osweiler gone, competition for the top QB spot opened up for Mark Sanchez, Paxton Lynch and Trevor Siemian.
Everyone already knew who Mark Sanchez was. He’s a veteran quarterback who was drafted by the New York Jets in 2009 and led the team to the AFC Championship Game despite a less than stellar performance during his rookie year. Then, after being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles following a season-ending shoulder injury in 2013, Sanchez started in place of Nick Foles for the second half of the season.
Paxton Lynch is best known to Broncos fans as Denver’s first round pick from the University of Memphis. Standing at 6’ 7” with an arm length of 34 ¼”, he fits the athletic build that GM John Elway looks for in a QB. But to a lot of people, it may seem as though Lynch came out of nowhere.
If people thought that Lynch came out of nowhere, fans were surely even more confused about the origins of some guy named Trevor Siemian. Until Osweiler left for Houston, most had forgotten that Siemian was taken by Denver as the 250th overall pick and the final quarterback in the 2015 draft, which, if we’re being honest, who exactly would remember who the 250th overall pick of the 2015 draft was? Unless you’re a loyal Siemian superfan who followed his high school and college career, it’s easy to see why he was forgotten.
From what we’ve heard about Siemian recently, his teammates and coaches have a lot of confidence in him. Broncos offensive coordinator Rick Dennison recently said, “There’s just more consistency. He really understands what he’s supposed to do and how he’s supposed to do it. That translates to consistent play and performance out there. That’s what he’s given us.” Basically, playing smart ball will be Siemian’s main focus this season. How quickly he learns from his mistakes and adjusts to difficulties will also play a huge role in how he establishes himself as a leader on and off the field.
Keep in mind, just because Siemian is officially the starter, he still has to work to maintain the top spot. Only time will tell if he will remain the starter through all 16 games and beyond. Plenty of eyes will be watching his progress as the Broncos hope to repeat their last season with another Super Bowl championship.
