The message was made clear at the start of the new year, so it wasn’t a surprise or an insult to when new Broncos head coach said this week that he would have an open quarterback competition.
Siemian, the seventh-round pick who won the job a year ago, would again battle , the first-round pick the Broncos traded up to get, for the top job. Fifty-fifty.
“I think you learn pretty quickly, or at least I did, that you have to earn it every year, every day in the league,” Siemian said Thursday. “That goes beyond me and Paxton. Thatap everybody. If you’re not playing well or earning the job, earning a spot, you’re getting worse. You’re not going to last very long. Thatap the reality. I know I can get better. I have a lot of room to improve, but I think I have some things to build on, so I’m really excited. I’m excited to get going. I’m healthy, I feel good.”
Last summer Siemian, a name barely on the radar, beat out veteran and Lynch for the lead role. In 14 starts, Siemian helped the Broncos to eight wins, averaged 242.9 passing yards per game, threw 18 touchdowns along with 10 picks for a passer rating of 84.6. He also took 31 sacks and sustained three injuries (two shoulders, one foot).
In January, Siemian elected to have surgery to repair the AC joint in his left (non-throwing) shoulder after injuring it in October and playing the remainder of the season in pain. Surgery wasn’t a consideration at season’s end, he said, but when he realized he could get the procedure and be back in time for the start of organized team activities (OTAs) this month, he was in.
Recently cleared to participate fully, Siemian is back in the weight room and back to throwing.
“I just got to be smart in the weight room,” he said. “I wasn’t a gladiator in there by any stretch of the imagination. Just be smart, take care of my body and get a little stronger.”
The added strength, as well as wisdom gained from a year of playing experience, may help him stay healthy on Sundays, too.
“You watch other guys around the league, the older guys who stay healthy — they’re really smart with the football,” Siemian said. “They ditch it when they have to, they get rid of it quicker, they’re shooting checkdowns pretty quickly or they’re getting down. I got a chance to watch Peyton (Manning) do that. I don’t know if I thought I was Superman my first year and taking a bunch of hits, but you can’t play for an extended career doing that. Thatap something I’ll fix.”
While outside chatter of potentially signing dominated much of the Broncos’ offseason, Siemian kept tunnel vision, spending the majority of his days at the Broncos’ training facility for rehabilitation and film study.
He knew of the noise, but opted not to listen.
“Really, it might be hard for you to believe, but itap out of my control. Itap tough for me to worry about stuff like that,” he said. “… I was told the whole way through I was getting a chance to compete. For me, thatap all I wanted to hear.”
And all the while, the team’s new offensive staff continued to develop the new playbook, one that will feature more plays from the shotgun formation and principles used by offensive coordinator was he was last in Denver and tailored schemes to fit the strengths of and then Manning.
The expectation is that Siemian, and Lynch, will be able to air it out more than last season. The hope is that with a beefier offensive line and a revived run game, the two quarterbacks will have the protection that was lacking much of last season.
The Broncos’ first free-agent signings were guard Ron Leary and tackle Menelik Watson, a pair of 300-pounders whose weight and aggression provided the building blocks to the new and coaches hope improved culture in the trenches for Denver.
That culture? “A super physical group that protects the quarterback,” Siemian said with a wide grin.
But any improvement on offense starts with the quarterback. Joseph has said repeatedly that the starting quarterback will be selected based on on-field performance and decision-making as well as leadership.
“Itap the quarterback’s job to the be a leader, whether you like it or not or you’re a rookie or not,” Siemian said of filling the leadership void left by Manning a year ago and this off-season. “That comes with your position.”
Siemian heard that message, too.
“There’s no reason not to,” Siemian said. “Playing obviously helps. It was my first year playing last year. As I get older and play more reps and do those types of things, thatap kind of my role moving forward.
“Like I said, you’ve got to earn it every day. Not just quarterbacks, but all across the board. You don’t really need any extra motivation, regardless of circumstance or whatever you’re talking about. You’ve got to earn your stripes every day. Moving forward, thatap what I’ve got to do if I want to play.”
