The Denver Broncos are one of a few teams without a sure thing at starting quarterback heading into training camp.
It’s never a good thing when you’re in the same category as the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets. However, it’s clear that the Denver Broncos still have no idea who will start for the team when Week 1 arrives. It’s a situation that wide receiver Demaryius Thomas says he hopes will be cleared up by the second week of training camp.
Mike Klis of KUSA spoke with Thomas about the Broncos quarterback situation between last year’s starter Trevor Siemian and former first round pick Paxton Lynch. At some point, given the investment and high ceiling, Lynch should be expected to take over the reins, but clearly even heading into his second season, there are some inconsistency issues that might make a head coach uncomfortable.
"“They both had their ups and downs days,’’ Thomas told Klis.. “I remember Trevor had been pretty cool the whole time. Everybody has their days. And then the first couple weeks we see Paxton … the last couple of weeks he was just out there lighting it up. It was like, ‘Ooh, where did that come from?’ It’s going to be good competition. I’m excited about it.’’"
While the entire AFC West is going to provide tough competition no matter the match-up of any two teams, the Denver Broncos are in an interesting position. Their defense is among the league’s best and no one would be surprised to see Von Miller, Chris Harris and company make a serious run at the Super Bowl. However, their quarterback situation could keep them out of the playoffs entirely, just as it did last season—ending a string of 12+ win seasons.
Last year the Broncos went 9-7 with Siemian as the starter. He’s a smart quarterback who can certainly minimize mistakes but he’s not experienced enough to make defenses pay enough for his offensive liabilities. On the flip side, Lynch can certainly bring the live arm and beat defenses over the top, but a smart defense will be able to frustrate Lynch enough into making a poor decision on most drives.
For now, it’s an odd category for the Broncos to be in, to stand alongside the worst teams in the NFL who have the same questions at quarterback. At the very least, they know if they can figure it out, they have the chance to springboard right back alongside the AFC’s top contenders.