Trevor Siemian isn’t going away. They’ve been talking about him for a couple of months now in Denver. Looks like he has a decent chance of starting some games this year. Really.
The Broncos signed Mark Sanchez, of course, but he’s mostly struggled for the last 5 years. No telling if Denver (or anyone) can get him turned around. He seems prone to coming up with the key mistake at the worst time – like the end-zone interception late against Miami last year that cost Philadelphia a win.
They’ve drafted Paxton Lynch, and he’s got great measurables, but he needs development – footwork, calling plays, huddling and reading defenses.
Which brings us to Siemian. They drafted him in the seventh round last year, so he has the considerable benefit of having worked in this offense for a year. They’ve been talking about him as a potential starter since May, and that hasn’t cooled off.
Supposedly, Siemian and Sanchez are the main contenders to be the team’s No. 1 quarterback.
I have never paid much attention to Siemian, so I went back and watched one of the games from his senior year – Northwestern’s upset win over a ranked Wisconsin team. He looked good on that day. He moved around, found secondary receivers, and put some balls in tight spots. He played better than indicated by his stats – 15 of 29 for 182 yards, with a touchdown and no interceptions. I saw a touchdown into a tight window, and I saw a key third-down conversion to ice it.
The physical measurables look decent enough – 6-3 and 220 pounds, with above-average mobility. Arm isn’t great, but it doesn’t scream out as a liability. He seems to have the stones to make the gutsy throws – passes into tight spaces, or when players have a defender nearby. I saw a couple of good downfield completions. Missed a couple, but he looks like he’s worthy of an NFL roster spot.
Siemian's stats his final year of college weren't great -- 58 percent completions, 201 yards per game, 7 TDs and 11 interceptions. But he was playing for a lesser Northwestern team that went only 5-6.
He went 5-6 as a starter in 2013, completing 60 percent, with 11 TDs and 9 interceptions.
In Gary Kubiak’s offense, they’re looking for quarterbacks who can move – lots of play-action, bootlegs and rollouts. Siemian fits well into that kind of scheme.
If I’m going into a 12-team draft today, I’m not even thinking about drafting Siemian. But his presence increases my confidence that I also don’t want to draft Sanchez or Lynch.
If I had to guess right now, I would say that Siemian will start at least a couple of games for the Broncos this year.
—Ian Allan
