The joshing has become all too familiar.
Reporter: “Lot of talk on …”
Broncos general manager , incredulously: “Really?!”
Reporter: “Yes.”
Elway: “Among whom? You?”
Reporter. “Yes. Twitter.”
Elway: “Oh.”
Elway can hear the noise and can see the headlines. He knows whatap being said and yes, he’s well aware of the cloud of speculation hovering over him. But on Monday, shortly after he introduced his latest free-agent additions, Elway took to the podium at the team’s headquarters to address — again — the unsaid.
Tony Romo, the lame-duck Cowboys quarterback, is still waiting to learn his fate and whether Dallas will release him from his contract. The Broncos are still waiting, too, but they’re not holding their breath.
“Tony’s under contract still, last time I checked,” Elway said flatly.
Denver and Houston are still regarded as the leading contenders for his services. But the prospect of the Broncos getting Romo are far from certain even if he’s released.
“The Tony thing, I will just tell you this: There have been a lot of things out there that just aren’t true as far as what’s going on with our quarterbacks,” Elway said. “That’s what happens. Everything gets frothed up there. So we just continue to go down our plan and continue to stay open. When things come available, we look at them at that point in time.”
Elway, as well as head coach , have said they’re happy with their two young quarterbacks, and , who are due $1.5 million in combined salary in 2017 — pennies compared to what top-flight quarterbacks like Romo make.
“We’re excited about our quarterback future,” Joseph said. “We got two young guys — one’s a first-round pick and one’s played an awful lot. So going forward we’re in great shape, not just for next year. Moving forward for the next four or five years, we’re in great shape at quarterback.”
Missing pieces on the Broncos’ roster were obvious going into the off-season and Elway had a plan to fill them. Since the start of free agency last Thursday, he’s welcomed a quartet of 300-pounders to the front lines in guard Ronald Leary, offensive tackle Menelik Watson and defensive linemen Domata Peko and Zach Kerr.
Elway held to a plan he laid out months ago, without waiting on Romo. A third quarterback will be added for depth and camp competition, Joseph said. But the priority is developing Siemian and Lynch, quarterbacks with different skill sets.
Last year, Lynch wasn’t in the race to be the starter. Not really, anyway. The transition from the spread offense at Memphis that he ran was difficult for the rookie. The emphasis was on his development and footwork, as Siemian handily beat out for the No. 1 job.
Joseph, in reviewing Siemian’s performance in 14 starts last season, believes he was denied full credit for what he was able to do, especially behind a porous offensive line.
“When you win nine games in the NFL, that’s tough to do with two rookie quarterbacks,” Joseph said. “… I am very comfortable with Trevor. He’s a smart guy, he’s a leader, his teammates love him and they love playing for him. So if he’s the guy again, all good. If Paxton comes back and he plays better, all good.”
Siemian is recovering from surgery on his left (non-throwing) shoulder but is expected to be ready by the start of organized team activities (OTAs). Lynch, meanwhile, has been working out in Florida with quarterbacks specialist Charlie Taaffe.
Itap expected that Lynch will be more comfortable on the field in his second season. But a higher bar is set.
“Paxton’s a young guy with great talent. But playing quarterback in the NFL, itap a lot more than talent,” Joseph said. “Itap leadership — whether you like it or not, it comes with leadership obligations, it comes with obviously studying it and understanding the systems. He’s ready for it. He wants the challenge. He’s looking forward to getting back in and going to work. Itap going to be a fair open competition.”
The competition is still on, regardless of what owner Jerry Jones does with Romo, who might be released this week when Jones fails to find a trading partner. And if he is, then the Broncos will consider him, as they’ve said they would.
“As I said, we’re always looking at options,” Elway said. “We never say never.”
