Trevor Siemian is the Denver Broncos’ starting quarterback, again. First-year head coach Vance Joseph named Siemian the starter on Monday, the team’s first day back after their 33-14 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
Siemian led Denver to 10 points Saturday, including a touchdown on his first drive, playing in relief of Paxton Lynch, who was also in competition for the starting job.
It is the second year in a row Siemian beat out Lynch, Denver’s first-round pick in the 2016 draft.
As a starter last season, Siemian led Denver to an 8-6 record but missed the playoffs. Lynch was 1-1 in games he started in place Siemian, who missed games against Atlanta and Jacksonville with injury.
When asked postgame Saturday about whether he felt he had earned the job, Siemian was succinct.
“I think so. I’m not the coach, but I think so,” he said.
He wouldn’t pin down exactly what he believes he accomplished over the past few weeks to earn the starting job, but did say there is plenty of room left to grow in the position.
“I can’t say exactly. I think for me I just wanted, when I came back in the spring, I thought I had room to grow as a player and I think I have done that and I think I still have more room to grow no doubt. I think just from when I came back in the spring I have done a lot of good things personally that I wanted to get down. Still, no doubt, I have a long way to go again, but yeah, I think that’s it,” he said.
Siemian was the dark horse candidate in 2016, with Lynch and NFL veteran Mark Sanchez both competing for the starting role as well. Even that was a stark change from where he expected to be when he was drafted.
“Yeah I think just when I got in here, obviously my role has changed since I was drafted coming in,” Siemian said.
The Broncos selected Siemian in the seventh round in 2015, Peyton Manning’s final season. He was expected to learn from Manning and Brock Osweiler that year, which he did, and eventually take over as backup behind Osweiler. Those plans blew up when Osweiler left for Houston after the 2015 season, and Siemian was thrust into the middle of one of the NFL’s biggest quarterback competitions.
Since winning that competition the first time around, his role has changed greatly.
“The one thing, obviously, I have taken on more leadership,” Siemian said postgame Saturday, “and I think that’s natural as you get older, but I want to be myself the whole way through too. I think as a leader you have to be authentic no matter what capacity so that’s what I’ve tried to do. Just be a good teammate. Be the best guy I can be. Be the best quarterback and go from there.”
He’ll go from there, again, officially as the starter against Green Bay in Preseason Week 3 on Saturday and for the regular season opener Sept. 11 against the Chargers.
