Trevor Siemian is one lucky fella. Actually, to say that Trevor Siemian is lucky is an understatement. Trevor Siemian is fortunate, well-timed, blessed, opportune, and yes lucky. If I was Trevor Siemian, I would push all of my chips into the middle of the table and bet it all, because everything he touches as of late is coming up aces.
It’s well documented that Siemian was a seventh-round pick out of Northwestern. But let’s dive deeper in the circumstances of how “Trevor the Sizzle Siemian” has gone from Wildcat part-timer, to Broncos full-time winner.
If not for… Houston
As free agency loomed in 2016, Trevor Siemian had a free agent QB and heir apparent in Brock Osweiler looking down at him from top the depth chart. Brock, instead of taking over the empty captain’s chair, shocked the Denver sports world and went for a money grab. After winning the Super Bowl, Brock got his ring and then went and got paid, too. And good for Brock; just about any one of us would do the same.
Brock, who perhaps felt jilted when he was benched for the legend in Peyton Manning, was no longer interested in taking a hometown discount. Brock, the new sheriff in town, left for Houston and left behind the horse he came in on. After the dust settled and the smoke cleared it was a guy by the name of Trevor Siemian who, by default, was the Broncos’ QB1. People were asking questions. Who is Trevor bleeping Siemian? Who is this last guy on the 53 man roster?
Trevor Siemian, saved and stashed away by Gary Kubiak, was literally the last QB left on the roster. If not for Brock leaving, we might not have ever seen or heard from Trevor again. If not for Brock leaving, Trevor might not have even been on the roster come the start of 2016.
“All of those people who were mad at Brock should be thanking him,” my radio partner Kent Erickson says.
If not for… Dak
The Denver Broncos moved up in the first round to go get their man in Paxton Lynch. Lynch, a big guy with a strong arm, was listed as a project for one, two, three (keep counting), maybe even four years. Paxton Lynch in the Memphis Tigers offense was a beast. Lynch in college threw for 3,776 yards in his senior year – with 28 TDs and only four interceptions. Comparing that to the slinging Saint, Drew Brees: 3,668 yards his senior year at pass-happy Purdue, 26 TDs and 12 interceptions. There was many a reason why Denver took a risk on Paxton Lynch.
However, Paxton is now injured, and after given every chance in the world to compete for the starting job, has yet to get it done. Paxton is now a question mark at best. Denver, in order to select Paxton, was forced to trade up in order to get past another likely suitor: The Dallas Cowboys. Cowboys GM and Owner Jerry Jones was rumored to also love the big guy and was gunning for him with a likely consolation prize for either team in Dak Prescott. Dak, who was anyone’s NFL guess at Mississippi State, was said to be on a lot of teams’ radar, but only if they couldn’t get the guy they really wanted; Denver and Dallas being among those teams.
So, in a roundabout way, Dak could have landed in Denver, if not for the Broncos making a deal to move in front of Dallas to get Paxton. Dak, now the reason why Romo retired to bless us with his excellence in broadcasting (sorry, Phil), has shown to be a good QB and possible future star in the NFL.
If Denver selects Dak, is Trevor still the starter?
If not for… A knee
Denver was looking at any way to upgrade their QB position in 2016, including discussions with Colin Kaepernick. The story now goes that Kaepernick, once a starting QB in the Super Bowl for the 49ers, is now somewhat out of the league. Kaep, either by skill set, or by his taking a knee during the national anthem, is now a cheap option for teams at the QB position. At the time of his talks with Denver, it was said that Kaep could not negotiate on his price tag, and that was the sole reason he was not on the Broncos roster. Kaep, now said to be willing to take just about any sort of deal, is not an option for any of the 32 teams in the NFL. Whether it’s his playing style, skill set, or political stance, there seems to not be a place for Kaep in the league.
So if Kaep never takes a knee, is Trevor still the starter?
There are a million different reasons why draft picks don’t make it, or why players never get their shot. There are also a million stories about players who get their shot and do not take advantage. Trevor Siemian is winning people over (myself included). He got his shot, and he did what many other failed to do in not taking advantage. Trevor Siemian is an underdog story that should be told, but the story of Trevor was close to being a story never told at all.
The story of Trevor Siemian: To be continued…