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Denver Broncos: Where does Teddy Bridgewater’s debut rank among QBs since Peyton Manning?

By Travis Wakeman

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 12: Teddy Bridgewater #5 of the Denver Broncos throws a pass against the New York Giants during the second half at MetLife Stadium on September 12, 2021 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 12: Teddy Bridgewater #5 of the Denver Broncos throws a pass against the New York Giants during the second half at MetLife Stadium on September 12, 2021 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/Getty Images) /
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Denver Broncos, Trevor Siemian
DENVER, CO – SEPTEMBER 08: Quarterback Trevor Siemian #13 of the Denver Broncos passes the ball in the third quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on September 8, 2016 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

No.4: Trevor Siemian vs. Carolina Panthers- September 8, 2016

Following the Broncos’ win in Super Bowl 50 and the subsequent retirement of Manning, it was Trevor Siemian who got the next chance to be the team’s starting quarterback.

But that was far from the initial plan.

That offseason, the Broncos traded a future draft pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for veteran quarterback Mark Sanchez. They then used a first-round pick to select Paxton Lynch, one of the top prospects in the class.

Siemian was a former seventh-round pick who many saw as a “camp arm” who would be lucky to make the team. But as soon as camp opened that summer, it was clear that he was very much in the competition.

Lynch was not ready to play and Sanchez looked terrible in the preseason, so bad that he didn’t even make the roster that year. Siemian was named the starter.

Now, if this list covered the entire season, Siemian had the best overall season as the team’s new starter, but his first game featured some growing pains. It also came against the team the Broncos had beaten in the Super Bowl, a Panthers squad looking for revenge.

The Broncos actually ended up winning this game, but it wasn’t because of Siemian. He completed 18 of 26 passes for 178 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. His QB rating of 69.1 would be the worst of any of the quarterbacks on this list in their Broncos debut.

He also had top talents to throw to such as Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders but still completed just 13 passes to either a wide receiver or a tight end.

Siemian ended up being a serviceable quarterback for the Broncos and he finished the 2016 season with a winning record, but his debut didn’t exactly inspire Broncos fans that the team had a great successor for the legendary Manning.

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