Vance Joseph caught everyone’s attention after Day 1 of mandatory minicamp on Tuesday when he told the gathered media that nothing happening during OTAs and minicamp would determine the team’s starting quarterback this fall.
“Probably zero-to-none, to be honest,” Joseph said about how Paxton Lynch and Trevor Siemian‘s performances in May and June will influence his decision. “It’s going to be won on the football field. It’s going to be won in the games in the preseason. That’s where evaluation starts in my opinion.”
Even during training camp, it seems, the job won’t be won or lost. That means fans can expect to see the same split reps with (and against) the first-team units during camp and the first two preseason games.
But Joseph didn’t just speak on his quarterbacks Monday. In fact, he had plenty to say about several individual players who are all fighting for spots on the depth chart.
Here’s a quick rundown of what Joseph had to say about several other Broncos not named Siemian and Lynch, courtesy of Broncos PR.
On progress rookie OT Garett Bolles is making
“He’s made a lot of progress. It’s a tough spot to play as a rookie, and it takes a lot of football IQ to play that spot in the NFL. When he knows what to do, he can block his guy. His talent shows. The ultimate issue is knowing what to do and how to do it, but he’s a first-round pick for a reason. He’s a talent.”
On rookie WR Isaiah McKenzie
“He is explosive. He is fast and he plays fast all the time. He can do a lot of things for us in terms of punt returning, playing some halfback and being the slot guy. He’s a smart guy and he’s very competitive. He’s a guy that should help us in the fall.”
On TE AJ Derby
“He’s got a slight hamstring. It’s probably about 75-80 percent. If it were a game week, he probably could go. Being a mini-camp, we don’t want guys to leave here injured. They have a chance to train for five weeks and that’s important to them. We’re being smart there. Let’s get him through this week and get him healthy so he can go home and train. He can come back in the fall and compete.”
On TE Jake Butt
“He’s coming along well. The plan won’t change for Jake. He’ll probably be a PUP guy starting camp. Not much has changed.”
On WR Hunter Sharp
“He’s worked hard. He’s run good routes and made some good plays in the passing game. He’s a guy we definitely will keep an eye on for the fall and training camp.”
On shuffling around offensive linemen
“We moved Max [Garcia] back to left guard and we’re trying Ronald Leary at right guard. Hopefully that’s a better mesh for us. Leary played left the entire spring and Max played the right, but we think Max is more comfortable playing left and Ronald doesn’t care. That’s the best thing for us. Bolles is alternating with Ty [Sambrailo] at left tackle every other series.”