Just hours after the team released its first depth chart for the 2017 season, naming Trevor Siemian or Paxton Lynch as the first-team quarterback, Broncos head coach Vance Joseph has announced that Siemian will start the team’s first preseason game on Thursday in Chicago.
Trevor Siemian will start for the #broncos against the #bears Thursday night.
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) August 7, 2017
Joseph also announced that Lynch will start the team’s second preseason game, next Saturday in San Francisco.
Lynch will start vs. 49ers
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) August 7, 2017
The announcement should come as no surprise, as Joseph has held fast to his plan to give each quarterback an equal opportunity to earn the starting job.
Following Saturday’s intra-squad scrimmage, Joseph said he saw good things from both quarterbacks.
“I saw from [QB] Trevor [Siemian] consistency with his ball placement. He made the correct reads most of the time. He had one ball knocked down. Not his fault. He was very solid. [QB] Paxton [Lynch], outside the interception was solid. His best play of the day was brought back by a penalty. That would have been a pretty good drive from Paxton in my opinion. The penalty negated it and brought it back. But very solid for both guys.”
Siemian earned the starting job in 2016 over Lynch, then a rookie, and veteran Mark Sanchez. Siemian started 14 games for Denver and led the Broncos to an 8-6 record in his starts.
Lynch started two games in place of Siemian because of injury last season, going 1-1 in those games.
The Broncos open preseason play on Thursday (Aug. 10) against Bears in Chicago. They travel to San Francisco the following week for joint practices and the second preseason game on Saturday, Aug. 19.
