Broncos move to Brock Osweiler is about the defense

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The Denver Broncos offensive struggles created turmoil in the locker room. With Trevor Siemian struggling to be effective, it was time for a change. Perhaps it was too little, too late, but the Denver Broncos moving on to Brock Osweiler is the first step in sending a message to the rest of the team.

The message? Players will be held accountable for poor play. The stats this season for the defense have been on the insanely good side, but the offense has been incapable of carrying its weight since week 2.

While there are several issues the team must address, it became apparent that allowing Siemian to continue as the signal caller was going to cause an insurmountable rift in the locker room.

As Ian St. Clair and I noted on the MHR Radio podcast game preview, the offensive struggles have been killing the team. When you hold opponents to 2 of 12 on third down, and 0% efficiency in goal-to-go and red zone chances, you should win. The defense knows this. Quotes from players like Chris Harris, Jr. over the last few weeks have put the frustrations out in the spotlight.

Now, Osweiler takes over for Siemian in an attempt to put an end to the Denver Broncos losing streak. But mostly, Osweiler is putting an end to the growing resentment between the offense and the defense. While the defense may not watch the scoreboard during the game, they clearly know the score at the end.

The move to Osweiler has everything to do with ensuring the defense knows the offense will be held accountable for their poor play. After a 3 interception game keeping Siemian in the game would have been the end of any unity in the locker room.

In a strange way, this could be exactly what Siemian needs, as well. His position in Denver was becoming untenable. His downward spiral was clearly uncontrollable. Now he can get out of his own head, and his next move could be just what he needs to be successful. His success will just not come in a Broncos uniform at this point.

As for Osweiler, the Denver Broncos need him to be what he was in 2015. His stand in for Peyton Manning was a big reason the Broncos were able to enter the playoffs with the number one seed. They probably wouldn’t have won the Super Bowl without him.

No one truly believes there is a Super Bowl in this season’s future for Denver. What there will be is change. This change will help to hold the locker room together. It will show the defense that the coaching staff can make moves to support them. It shows the fans that the team will not accept subpar performances.

The Denver Broncos benching Trevor Siemian was just as much about supporting the defense as winning football games.

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