On day two of OTAs the storyline is the same as day one: Who will be the quarterback for the Super Bowl rematch on Thursday, September 8th against the Carolina Panthers? What most of those stories don’t include, however, is that it is a three-man race, not two.

The two quarterbacks getting all of the publicity are, of course, the most well known names: first-round pick Paxton Lynch and veteran journeyman Mark Sanchez. The third, former seventh-round pick in the 2015 draft, Trevor Siemian.

While many hear Siemian’s name and scoff at the idea that he could possibly be the guy leading the offense this year, as every day goes by, the realization that he is in fact in the mix continues to grow.

“Not many guys are asking about him. But I’m really excited about Trevor,” said head coach Gary Kubiak after the first practice of OTAs. “He’s got a chance to be a really good player. He knows exactly what he’s doing.”

If actions do speak louder than words, then Kubiak is backing up his words with his actions.

“He basically took the first group [Tuesday],” said Kubiak. “He’s practiced very well. I think Trevor has a lot of confidence in himself right now.”

Even though it may seem commonplace for a coach to sing the praise of his players, Kubiak does not throw around compliments that have not been earned. In fact, he rarely singles out players on his own like he did with Siemian after OTAs.

“Trevor did a great job today. Very impressive how far he’s come,” said Kubiak.

Last year, even though it wasn’t obvious, the Broncos did have confidence in Siemian as a rookie. In the seven games that Brock Osweiler started, the Broncos chose to go with Siemian as the backup, and it wasn’t because Siemian was their only option, as he beat out former No. 12 overall pick Christian Ponder after he was signed mid-season.

As the Broncos found out after Manning was injured last season, the backup quarterback is very important, especially with a team in contention. For Siemian to be just one play away from leading a playoff bound team shows the utmost confidence the Broncos had in him.

On Wednesday, after the second day of OTA’s, offensive coordinator Rick Dennison preached Siemian’s development from year one to year two.

“He’s light-years from what he was last year at this time,” said Dennison.

If Siemian truly is light-years ahead of where he was last year, then there is no reason to think that Siemian truly doesn’t have a shot.

“It’ll be very competitive for all of them. Rep wise, it will probably be right down the middle for all of them,” said Kubiak.

Coaches value each and every snap in practice and they wouldn’t split the reps evenly if Siemian didn’t have a chance. The fact that they are giving Siemian an equal opportunity now should be a sign that he is just as serious of a candidate for the starting job as the other two.

“We are going by feel now … give them a chance to compete,” said Dennison.

Although the two other quarterbacks have more prominent names, don’t be shocked if we’re talking about Siemian come Week 1.