Trevor Siemian IS the future

Amidst a tumultuous 2016 season, in which Denver saw itself regress to a 9–7 record, the buzz surrounding the starting quarterback position remained constant. Trevor Siemian, the fill-in guy, versus Paxton Lynch, the Elway-chosen heir to the throne. Throughout his 2-year career, the afterthought Siemian rose from the scout team quarterback, to starting quarterback of the defending Super Bowl champions, and temporary successor of NFL legend Peyton Manning. An impressive ascension for a 7th round draft pick. The responsibilities on Siemian’s plate were relatively pedestrian. At the very least, he had to duplicate the level of play by Brock Osweiler and Peyton Manning from the previous season, while riding a bruising rushing attack and a stifling defense to victory. Unfortunately, the Super Bowl winning blueprint from the previous season did not last long. The Broncos watched running back CJ Anderson go down with a season-ending meniscus tear, and their rush defense plummet from 3rd to 28th. Trevor Siemian now had to be more than just a game manager, and he did just that.

Surprisingly strong numbers for an inexperienced 7th round pick in his 1st season as a starter. Scapegoating Siemian is simply unfair when you consider the extenuating circumstances. He was thrust into the severely outdated Kubiak offense with an underachieving offensive line and an overrated backfield. Ronnie Hillman was the leading rusher for the Broncos in 2015, not the 18 million dollar man CJ Anderson. No disrespect to Anderson who has shown flashes of potential, but at this stage in his career, he hasn’t proven himself to be a stable anchor in Bronco backfield. Devontae Booker, who pushed Hillman out of Denver, struggled heavily especially after stepping in as a starter following Anderson’s season ending injury. Despite the glaring foundational flaws in the offense, Super Bowl expectations loomed over Siemian and that became the standard of judgement towards Siemian’s performance. The reality is that he was basically a rookie quarterback on a short leash with a cardboard offensive line and no running game. If Siemian was in the position of Paxton Lynch, or any 1st round selection tabbed to be the quarterback of the future, and put up numbers like this, he would be heralded as a future superstar in the NFL.

Siemian’s “rookie” season is in line with, or significantly better than some top tier quarterbacks. Just for comparison, Ryan, Newton were both named Rookie of the year and all of the quarterbacks above were drafted #1 overall with the exception of Ryan (#3 in 2008). Like all young quarterbacks, Siemian struggled greatly at times to jumpstart an otherwise anemic offense. However there is an undeniable level of poise, calmness, and fundamental fluency in his game. Overall, he’s the complete opposite of the gunslinging Paxton Lynch. Siemian shows impressive patience in his reads, makes smart decisions with the football, and throws one of the prettiest spirals in the league complete with an innate sense of timing and an artistic touch.


For the future, Siemian is the best bet for Denver. A smart passer with a high football IQ and only 25 years old. Paxton Lynch possesses greater size, arm strength, and athleticism compared to Siemian, but has come off as extremely raw and evidently will need more than a few years to reach his potential. Lynch possesses all the measurables that make NFL GM’s drool, 6’7, 245 pounds, an impressive 4.86 40 yard dash for his size. However as history has shown, investing in impressive size and measurable numbers rarely pans out. For every Ben Roethlisberger, there’s a countless number of Andrew Walters or JaMarcus Russell type flops. For now, however, the player that puts Denver in the best position to rebound is Siemian, and from a long term standpoint, he seems to possess the true intangibles needed to be a leader. Former teammate DeMarcus Ware and Hall of Fame running back Terrell Davis have both expressed confidence in him along with many of his current teammates. Siemian’s teammates adore him, and being in such a position only translates to better team chemistry and productivity. Sitting in a locker room full of guys that actually want to go out and make plays for you is a predicament that a select number of quarterbacks can relate to. Assuming that Anderson can remain healthy and return to his 2014 Pro Bowl form, Ronald Leary and Garrett Bolles can rejuvenate the offensive line, and the defense can remain consistent, Siemian and the Broncos should return to the playoffs with a bang in 2017–2018.
