When Peyton Manning retired, and Brock Osweiler left, for the Houston Texans, via free agency there was some doubt as to who was going to be the quarterback for the Denver Broncos. Not Head Coach Gary Kubiak. He knew he had a diamond in the rough in a young QB drafted in the 7th round of the 2015 draft. Kubiak named that young man, Trevor Siemian, his starting quarterback.
Trevor Siemian took the battle put before him to heart. The Broncos did everything they could to find a different QB. They had talks with the Philadelphia Eagles, not once but twice, about trading for quarterbacks. Finally being successful by trading for Mark Sanchez. After trading for Sanchez, the Broncos continued to pursue other QBSs.
They had reached an agreement with the San Francisco 49ers for QB Colin Kaepernick, but the quarterback would not take a pay cut. Then the Broncos drafted QB Paxton Lynch in the first round of the 2016 draft. Through all this commotion Trevor Siemian stood tall.
Siemian had an advantage over all these QBs coming in. He knew the playbook. Trevor Siemian was the lone player, at the position, left from the 2015 roster. He knew the playbook inside and out. Not only did he know the playbook but he also learned behind one of the greatest to ever play the game in Peyton Manning. Not a bad teacher if I do say so.
Trevor Siemian now makes history. He becomes the first QB to start for the defending Super Bowl champions who has 0 career NFL Regular Season pass attempts. He also becomes the first QB out of Northwestern to start a week one game since Otto Graham. To say that this is a bold move by Kubiak is an understatement.
The starting QB, for now, of the Denver Broncos is Trevor Siemian. All he has to do is manage the game, and he will keep the job. Gary Kubiak and John Elway may have found a diamond in the rough in the 2015 draft. Now we see how many karats is that diamond worth.