Broncos QB Battle: Too close to call?

With the off-season activities starting to wind down, the Broncos are beginning to answer some of the questions that have been plaguing their roster all off-season. The biggest of which has been at QB. We’ve heard that it’s a 3 way battle, but today, we got a clearer look of who’s ahead in the competition and it may not be who you think it is…

With this being the last week of OTA’s before the team breaks for the summer, it’s important for the Broncos to get a grasp of the guys that they can pencil in the starting line ups heading into Training Camp next month.  Some questions appear to have a more concrete answer (ILB, DE) but others, like the QB position, have remained ambiguous.

Until last week, we had no clue as to who was really getting the majority of the first team reps in practice.  At this time, it sounds like Mark Sanchez took the majority of the first team reps last week with Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch rotating with the 2’s and 3’s behind him.  From that information, it would be easy to assume that Sanchez has a comfortable lead at the QB position heading into Training Camp, but like many things in the NFL, everything can change in an instant.  I was reminded of that fact today when Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post sent out this tweet.

Gary Kubiak is known to be transparent with his comments regarding the team and it’s safe to say that when the Head Coach specifically mentions two players “have looked each other in the eye” the entire off-season, it’s clear that he believes this is now a two man battle for the starting QB job.

As much as we all had hoped Paxton Lynch could come in right away and win the job, it appears that he may need some seasoning before he’s ready for NFL action.  That’s not to say that he couldn’t be great in camp and leap over both Sanchez/Siemian for the starting job but as it stands right now, it sounds very likely that 2016 will be a “red-shirt” year for Lynch.  As for Sanchez/Siemian, this recent development tells me a few things about each of them.

Sanchez

Since he’s the established veteran at the position (over 60 starts to his name), the coaching staff has a level of trust in his effort to take the majority of first team reps

His efforts to get acclimated with his teammates have been positive, as Emmanuel Sanders has commented on a growing chemistry between the two throughout the off-season

On the flip side, it sounds like he’s had some inconsistencies in practice and at times, shows us why he has the reputation as a spotty player.

Also, it’s telling to me that despite the veteran status and familiarity with the offensive concepts from his time in college, he can’t seem to distance himself from Trevor Siemian.  I understand that Siemian has a full year head start in the offense over Sanchez, but it is puzzling to see a vested NFL veteran struggle to solidify himself as the starter over a second year player who has only taken one snap in his NFL career.

Siemian

He’s drawn rave reviews for his arm and consistency throughout camp

Coaches and teammates alike have noticed the maturation process that he has undergone since the end of his rookie season

Based on all reports, he has been the most consistent and comfortable of the 3 QB’s when it comes to operating the offense

On the flip side, despite all of the positive reports, he’s still been behind Sanchez for starting reps in practice.  I don’t know if this is simply the Broncos giving the veteran a head start because of his experience or if Sanchez manages to find a way to stay a step ahead of Siemian.  That doesn’t make much sense to me, especially when we’ve heard all off-season that Siemian has looked like the best of the 3 QBs. If that’s the case, why isn’t he getting the lion’s share of the first team reps?

In my opinion, I would think the opposite of what the Broncos are doing with their QB situation would have made more sense.  Instead of giving the veteran the bulk of the first team reps this early in the off-season, why not give the young guys more of the starting reps knowing that if they falter, the veteran can come in and salvage things?  I’ve been pretty positive in the Broncos efforts to resolve the QB competition, but that portion of it doesn’t make much sense to me.

Regardless, it’s become clear that after today, the three man race for the starting QB job has now been whittled down to two.  Could things change in Training Camp? Absolutely! You can never count out the idea of Lynch surprising in camp.  Until then, it appears that the starting QB for the Denver Broncos will be a guy with the letter S as his last initial.  The question will be, which one of those two S’s will rise above the rest and solidify themselves as the starting QB for the defending Super Bowl Champions? Only time will tell…