Denver Broncos: Trevor Siemian starting is a big deal

The Denver Broncos are the reigning Super Bowl champions, and a future Hall of Fame quarterback in Peyton Manning could be succeeded by Trevor Siemian?

It may still be just a pre-season game, but Trevor Siemian starting for the Denver Broncos is a much bigger deal than people probably realize.

When Gary Kubiak said the quarterback competition in Denver was open for the taking, he wasn’t kidding. He’s more than stuck to a story — he’s seen Siemian play well enough to get a ton of reps with the first unit, and against the San Francisco 49ers, he’ll lead the reigning Super Bowl champion Broncos for a quarter and a half.

This isn’t some gimmick from Kubiak and the Broncos’ coaching staff. This is a legitimate player that has developed over the course of the last year, and circumstances have allowed for one of the craziest developments league-wide that we have seen.

It’s been a wild ride for Siemian’ whose journey with the Broncos started with what many felt like a random pre-draft meeting. Siemian’s name popped up as a popular pre-draft visit for NFL teams, and the Broncos had their heavy hitters at a meeting before the draft and ultimately before the team wound up drafting him in the seventh round.

It’s clear that Gary Kubiak wants to give this young player a chance at probably the biggest job opening in pro football, but what is it exactly that he’s looking for?

“I’m looking at everything, leadership, how they handle the team. Obviously you want to make them each make the same amount of decisions. If I sent one of them out there and one throws it four times and the other throws it 15, I’d like to see that pretty equal. I just watch their decision-making process and those types of things.”

After all of the hot takes this offseason about Siemian, and the way so many have discredited him for his draft status, it’s incredibly satisfying to see him get a shot to start a game, even if it is in the preseason.

This game could be a launching point for Siemian and what happens if he is really successful? The Broncos obviously have a number of backup plans if he doesn’t.

For a team that was trotting out Peyton Manning most Sundays last season, to see Siemian get the nod to possibly replace him at least for this game is really something else. It’s a testament to the Broncos’ scouting department, their coaches, and obviously Siemian’s resilience through being an NFL Draft afterthought and borderline 53-man roster selection.

One year ago, Siemian wasn’t even fully healed from an ACL tear he suffered in college. Now, he’s — for the time being — the starting quarterback for the defending champs.

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It’s got to be crazy for him, but it’s almost crazier for everyone else. Just to add a little editorial to all of this, I can still remember over a year ago talking with fellow staff writer Aric Manthey about Siemian and how much promise he had. I remember going to training camp, and trying to convince myself that Siemian was the third best quarterback on the field with Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler, but my Father and brother were more excited about Siemian after a couple of training camp practices in person.

Last preseason, I thought Siemian outplayed the other quarterbacks, even though he was going against third string players.

Still, I never thought it would get to this point. I didn’t think the Broncos would have the guts to put this guy in this position, but here we are.

Trevor Siemian is the starting quarterback of the Denver Broncos. Even if just for a preseason game, this is a huge development for this team.