Is there a more polarizing figure in the Denver sports scene right now than Denver Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian?
Broncos fans are definitely split on the young signal caller, and what his future in Denver should be.
A seventh-round draft pick out of Northwestern a year ago, no one (except maybe Gary Kubiak) expected Siemian to be anything more than a contributor on the practice squad.
Supporters look at his poise in the pocket, his toughness under pressure, and the growth that he has shown over the past year. The fact that Siemian has done anything this season behind an offensive line that has been rated among the league’s worst has to count for something. Broncos quarterbacks have been hit over 100 times this year. The Broncos running game has been non-existent all year, and Broncos receivers haven’t exactly been the most surehanded targets this year.
Meanwhile, detractors will point to his meager yards per pass, his low completion percentage and the number of interceptions that have been dropped by opponents, and wonder why he has the job.
On Sunday against the Oakland Raiders, Trevor Siemian made his case for the starting job in 2017. And like everything else for young Siemian, it was anything but easy, or by the book.
In a game in which the Broncos had nothing to gain, and the Raiders had everything to lose, it was Denver that came out swinging and making the big plays. And during what we now know was head coach Gary Kubiak’s final game, the coach decided to go with the embattled Siemian instead of giving some playing time to rookie Paxton Lynch, as promised.
Siemian was a very workmanlike 17-of-27 for 206 yards, with two touchdowns, and one interception, which turned out to be meaningless. But he looked like a quarterback that can be successful in the right situation, and could grow significantly, if he had an offensive line and running game to help him.
The case for Siemian as the future starter wasn’t made by the quarterback alone on Sunday. It was made by the coaching staff, and the rest of the team that rallied around the newly found offense that helped smack the Raiders by a score of 24 to 6.
Despite stating that he would play Lynch, Gary Kubiak instead went with his gut, and left Siemian at the controls in order to get what may have been his final win as head coach. Sure, it would have been easier if Siemian had just thrown for 300 yards and five touchdowns, but this game still told us quite a bit of how the current regime feels about their quarterback situation.
If Lynch is the man going forward, why couldn’t he even get on the field in what was the equivalent of a preseason exhibition?
Maybe the Broncos were simply trying to showcase Siemian for a future trade. Or maybe they didn’t want to risk an injury to their future franchise quarterback, so they kept Lynch on the bench. But it is very possible that the Broncos have seen what they think is the future going forward.
They like the study habits and preparation of their second-year quarterback. They like the poise and the toughness he has shown while being the guy left stading in the huge shadow left by Peyton Manning. And no matter how divisive it may be, they just might feel that their future is with Trevor Siemian under center.
