Why Trevor Siemian Can Thank Tyrod Taylor For Shot

Nobody would’ve believed it a few months ago, but now it seems true. Trevor Siemian might be one game away from starting for the Denver Broncos in 2016.

Understand that just last year he was the third-string quarterback behind Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler. An absolute afterthought. Then through a crazy series of circumstances, Manning retired and Osweiler shunned the Broncos in favor of a bigger deal in Houston. Even then nobody actually gave credit to the idea that Siemian was an option for the starting job. Denver quickly traded for Mark Sanchez from Philadelphia and followed that up by drafting Paxton Lynch in the 1st round this past April.

By all rights his name never should’ve come up in the conversation. Now here he is. Maybe one more solid performance away from becoming the starting quarterback of the defending Super Bowl champions.

Broncos announced QB Trevor Siemian will start week 3 of preseason vs. the Rams. Advantage, Siemian.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 22, 2016

Smart decision by Kubiak. Siemian was ahead in race, had 1 very good drive, then sputtered v SF. This seems fair. https://t.co/DwAMsKEVxl
— Peter King (@peter_king) August 22, 2016

Even in the midst of this, one has to ask the question. Does Siemian get this opportunity without Tyrod Taylor? That might seem like an unusual jump but in truth it’s not. For starters, one must remember back to last off-season. Kubiak was taking over as head coach and searching for possible options at quarterback. Having coached Taylor in Baltimore the year before, the Broncos made a push to get him. They were turned down. Most of that being owed to the second reason.

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The Buffalo Bills taking the unusual stance of giving him, a career backup, a legitimate opportunity to win the starting job. Almost everybody felt the job would be given to former 1st round pick E.J. Manuel. Head coach Rex Ryan made it clear that was not the case. The job would go to the man who earned it, regardless of what their background was. Taylor wanted that chance and he made the most of it. He finished 2015 with a Pro Bowl nod and has since parlayed that into a lucrative contract extension.

So not only did Taylor leave the door open for Trevor Siemian by not coming to Denver, he also made the idea of giving a backup the equal opportunity to compete for the starting job more credence. There is still one hurdle left to clear. Odds are he’s not going to shake off Lynch or Sanchez easily, but it’s hard not to see a strange twist of fate at work for the former 7th round pick.

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