The Denver Broncos have ended their quarterback competition and have officially announced that Trevor Siemian has won the starting quarterback job.
Coach Joseph names @TrevorSiemian the starting quarterback. pic.twitter.com/0qEdL8vXXG
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) August 21, 2017
Trevor Siemian has been in an open competition with former first-round pick Paxton Lynch ever since Vance Joseph was hired as the Broncos Head Coach back in January. Since then he has been splitting first-team reps with Lynch throughout OTA’s, minicamp, and training camp. The battle continued throughout camp and into the preseason. Siemian earned the first start against the Bears in week one while Lynch got the start against the 49ers this past Saturday. After all this, Siemian has come out on top once again and won the Broncos starting quarterback job for the second year in the row.
In two preseason games, Siemian has been well, consistent. He has completed 14 of his 18 pass attempts which come out to be a very good 77.8 completion percentage. He has passed for 144 yards in those two games, has 1 touchdown, and has a quarterback rating of 118.5 so far this preseason. Those sort of stats is why Trevor Siemian has been named the Broncos starter once again.
Trevor Siemian?
— NFL (@NFL) August 20, 2017
Or Paxton Lynch?
Who has the edge in the @Broncos QB battle?
Let's take a look #DENvsSF pic.twitter.com/YSnfkrT5ob
This announcement by Vance Joseph and the Broncos likely does not come as a surprise to Trevor Siemian. After Saturday’s game, he was asked by the media if he thought he has done enough to win the Broncos starting quarterback job. Siemian answered “I think so. I’m not the coach, but I think so.”
That sort of confidence from Siemian is why he earned the job. Lynch has the more elite physical tools, but Siemian’s intelligence, confidence, and cool/calm demeanor gave him the edge in this competition. It also helped him win over his teammates, gain their trust, and become popular in the locker room.
Siemian started 14 games for the Denver Broncos in 2016 and had his ups and down throughout the year, but proved he belongs in the NFL despite being a late 7th round draft selection. In 2016 he totaled 3,401 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He also completed 59.5% of his passes and had a quarterback rating of 84.6.
Those are pretty good first-year numbers for Siemian and they compare well historically, so that may bode well for him going forward. Now Siemian will look to improve on those numbers this upcoming season. He will have Mike McCoy running the show on the offensive side of the ball, so hopefully, that leads to some improvement to Siemian’s game this season. Add in improvements to the run game and offensive line and Siemian could have a quality season in 2017 and help lead the Broncos back into the postseason.
Hopefully, we see an improved Trevor Siemian this season and also seeing the Broncos returning back to the postseason after missing it for the first time in John Elway’s tenure as a General Manager last season.