Denver Broncos training camp position battles
Quarterback
Mark Sanchez: Ah, the Sanchize. The salty vet. Mr. Been there, done that. When talking about the Broncos current vacancy at the starting QB position, one big factor comes up that could play to Sanchez’s advantage. That advantage is experience. Like many things in life, having prior experience with any kind of job is likely to give someone an advantage for a position over other competing candidates. With over 70 starts and a 4-2 playoff record, it’s easy to forget that Sanchez was at the helm for very tough and competitive teams earlier in his career.
Combine that with the prerequisite amount of athleticism and arm talent needed to succeed in a Kubiak led offense and one would be quick to assume that Sanchez will be the Broncos starting QB come September. If I were a betting man, I would say the safe money would be on Sanchez… Fortunately, I’m not a betting man. I commend Sanchez for embracing this opportunity in Denver and doing everything in his power to seize the opportunity. It appears that his early efforts have been paying off as he has been getting the largest share of first team reps in off-season workouts. That could certainly continue as he works his way into the starting position, but there are two glaring concerns regarding Sanchez’s game.
1. He’s turnover prone. Despite the winning regular season and postseason record, Sanchez has an average of 1/1 TD/INT ratio and has been prone to losing fumbles over his career (24). Although the Broncos QB’s led the league in INT’s last year, they know they can’t get away with winning games with their QB turning the ball over as much as they did in 2015. Regardless of who is behind center in 2016, that QB needs to be more efficient and cautious with his play. Although Sanchez’s experience towers over his competitors, his career turnover rate is alarming for a team looking to repeat as Super Bowl Champions. Regardless of the team or system that he’s played in, it seems like his penchant for turnovers seems to follow him. Hopefully he can change his ways while wearing Orange and Blue, but it is an alarming stat to keep in mind when we watch the QB’s battle in camp.
2. Pressure to get a younger guy in. With Siemian and rookie Paxton Lynch looking like the future at the QB position in Denver, Sanchez immediately finds himself on a short leash(if he happens to win the QB job). In some ways, this situation is a bit of a lose/lose for Sanchez. If he loses the competition, he will be relocated to back up duties or possibly, he could be cut. If he wins the starting job, he has the pressure of not only trying to lead the team on a journey to repeat as World Champions but also the pressure of the team wanting to put one of the young QB’s that they drafted into the starting line up. Bottom line here is, if Sanchez wins the job, he needs to play well and do it OFTEN. He doesn’t have much wiggle room and it’s ultimately up to him if this opportunity with the Broncos is going to resurrect his career or cement his status as a journeyman for the rest of his playing days.
Trevor Siemian: The man few are talking about right now, but could be the upset player in camp this season. A 7th round pick from Northwestern in the 2015 NFL Draft, Siemian was initially seen as a “camp arm with a cannon”. He immediately erased any doubts after defeating Zac Desert for the #3 job and earning himself a spot on the 53 man roster in 2015. The former Wild Cat spent his rookie season toggling between #3 and back up duties (for Brock) with a glorious kneel down play to end a half in between. One of the many things that impressed me about Siemian was the fact that despite the team signing another QB during the time Manning was sidelined, Siemian remained directly behind Brock and the Broncos had the absolute trust in him to lead the team in the event something went wrong with Brock.
For a kid that didn’t have a stellar college career and was still in the process of recovering from an ACL injury, he surely found a way to win over the Broncos coaching staff. When most teams would have turned to a more experience free agent, the Broncos believed in Siemian and his abilities to lead the Broncos in the event of an emergency situation. That trust in him has only grown as he has reportedly been “eye to eye” with Sanchez throughout the off-season workouts for the starting QB job. Coach Kubiak has gone on record saying that people shouldn’t discount Siemian’s chances of winning the starting job and if there was ever a coach that was known to have a great amount of transparency in his press conferences, it’s Kubes.
Between his experience in the offense, rocket for an arm and seemingly glowing endorsement from the Head Coach, I would certainly say that Siemian is in the conversation to be the Broncos starting QB this year. Personally, I’m rooting for him to win the job and become that next late round/FA QB to become a Franchise QB in the NFL. Will that happen? Who knows. Until proven otherwise, I think it would be foolish to count Siemian out of this QB competition.
Paxton Lynch: The rook. The guy we all expect to be “the future”. While I loved the pick and am hopeful that he can become the Broncos next franchise QB, it sounds like 2016 may have to be a “redshirt” year for him. Despite the moments of promise shown in off-season workouts, Lynch was largely(see what I did there?) considered to be inconsistent and lacking the polish needed at this time to be a starting QB in the NFL. That should come as no surprise, as Lynch’s footwork and experience in a pro style offense were two glaring weaknesses to his game coming out of Memphis and into the NFL. I’m hopeful that he can surprise people and get back into the starting QB race in camp but at this time, it sounds like 2016 may be a benchwarmer year for the big rookie.
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