Kubiak: First preseason game will “have a lot to do” with picking quarterback

The Denver Broncos first preseason game of 2016 is only one week away from tonight when they travel to Chicago to take on former Head Coach John Fox and his Chicago Bears.

Normally the first preseason game isn't all that important for the starters. Most will sit out or play a series at most, but overall this game means little to them. Well, this week one week one preseason game will be very important for all three of the Denver Broncos quarterbacks.

Kubiak said he'll have a set # of throws for each QB in preseason. Indicated that preseason play will play big part in determining starter.

— Jon Heath (@JonHeathNFL) August 4, 2016

Kubiak told reporters after today's practice that he's "really excited' to watch them play and how they perform during the preseason will have "a lot to do" with the decision-making at that position.

I think they are all doing good stuff and then there are struggles at times. It’s very, very competitive. I want to watch them play. I’m really excited. We play next week—a week from today. I want to get them out there. I am going to put a number of throws on each one of them. That’s going to have a lot to do with a decision making time to be honest. Right now, I think all of them continue to do their job and we’ll see.

I think Gary Kubiak would have liked one of his three quarterbacks to step out and take the lead in this competition but so far no one has established themselves.

Mark Sanchez is still the likely starter by default but he hasn't won it during camp. He looks good at times then reminds everyone at Training Camp that he's not a starter-quality quarterback. Trevor Siemian has looked like the "most consistent" quarterback at times during camp, but onlookers at camp have not been all that impressed with him, and the rookie Paxton Lynch will flash his potential then look like a raw rookie. We're basically in the same spot we were one week ago.

Kubiak basically said this after Wednesday's rough practice for the quarterbacks and the entire team.

"I don’t think anybody has taken off and done anything. I think they’ve all done what they did in the off season. They all continue to do it. We’ll just going here. We’ll start playing some people and playing some games. We’re going to find out."

This will be a big game for all three quarterbacks and the pressure will be on all three.

Sanchez has much more game experience than his competition so he shouldn't have any issues with next week's game. A solid veteran performance could lock up the job for him. If Sanchez struggles and has one of his turnover/mistake-filled outings, he could fall behind the other two.

Siemian will be playing in the biggest game of his football career. A solid showing could win him the job, but a poor showing could make him the third-string quarterback and be a weekly inactive. Will the stage be too big for the young and inexperienced Siemian?

The biggest X-Factor here is the rookie Paxton Lynch. He is the most talent quarterback of the three and will likely be playing against lesser competition, so he has a good shot at having a great performance. A good showing could push him into more 1st and 2nd team reps, but a poor showing could prove that he's not ready just yet to play in the NFL.

It's going to be a very important week one preseason game for the Denver Broncos and their three quarterbacks.