Trevor Siemian Named Broncos Starter for Week 1

After the Broncos defeated the Rams 17-9 in Week 3 of the preseason, it was obvious that head coach Gary Kubiak was leaning towards Trevor Siemian as the Week 1 starter at QB. Siemian started, played the first half, and did an adequate enough of a job to seize the job from Mark Sanchez and rookie Paxton Lynch. Sanchez didn't even play in the game. On Monday, Kubiak announced that Siemian would start Week 1 against the Panthers. That leaves Sanchez on the outside looking in. He could get cut, he could get traded, or he could stay at a reduced salary. The move leaves Paxton Lynch waiting in the wings a little longer. Here is my assessment of the QB situation going forward:

-Siemian won the job based on the fact that he was in the system last year, and he improved steadily from OTAs through training camp and the preseason. I was surprised that he won the job, but give the kid credit. As I said before, he is just a guy and a bridge QB to get to Lynch. How long will he last as the starter? I think he will last about 6 weeks and then give way to Lynch by the time the Texans and Brock Osweiler head to Denver for Monday Night Football in Week 7. I like the Siemian story, but I don't think this is the second coming of Tony Romo or Tom Brady here.

-How far has Mark Sanchez fallen that he got beat out by Trevor Siemian for the QB job? Sanchez' past and his turnovers in the preseason hurt his chances in Denver. I would keep him around just as an insurance policy, but I could see why they would let him go.

-Paxton Lynch will get his shot to play this year, but he will have to wait sometime. As soon as the Broncos feel that he is ready, he will play. If Siemian struggles mightily early on, I could see Kubiak making the move. If Siemian plays well, but the Broncos are having a bad season or out of the playoff picture, then Lynch will probably play at that point. Either way, Paxton Lynch will get a chance to play this year and prove that he can be the franchise QB going forward.

-Talk about irony. In 1999, John Elway retired, and Bubby Brister was so bad in the preseason that Mike Shanahan decided to go with second year, 3rd round pick Brian Griese at QB to start the year. In 2016, second year, 7th round pick Trevor Siemian will start at QB for the defending champs. Very interesting scenario.