The Denver Broncos have several questions to answer heading into the offseason. However, the biggest one is to know which player will start as quarterback.
Currently there are two candidates for the position: Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch. Siemian started most of last season, and while he didn’t look like the long-term answer at the position, he did show flashes of brilliance. Meanwhile, Lynch only played three times but logged a 1-1 record. Siemian is 25, while Lynch is only 23. Both are relatively young for the position, so in both cases there will be growing pains.
The numbers don’t lie, though. Siemian threw for 3,401 yards with 18 TDs, 10 INT and a 84.6 rating, while Lynch posted a 79.2 rating with 497 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. The edge also goes to Siemian here, who already benefited from a full season as a starter.
The main question here becomes what the Broncos really want to do moving forward. Both might be talented, but neither Siemian nor Lynch can take the franchise to a Super Bowl right now. And while they regressed a bit in 2017, the defensive unit is still a championshi´p-caliber one. So the Broncos need to make a choice – either they try to sign a veteran player like Jay Cutler, or they let the kids develop and select between Siemian and Lynch.
While there are options like Cutler and Colin Kaepernick on the free agent market, it seems Denver will see what happens with their young players. As I stated before, Siemian already showed what he can do, and he will only get better with another year of experience under his belt. Meanwhile, Lynch is the long-term project and he’s heralded as a talented signal-caller.
However, the choice is clear. If the Broncos want to win sooner than later, they should remain with Siemian as their starting QB. He’s the one that gives the team the best chance to win in the near future. And with an aging defense and two veteran receivers like Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, Denver can’t be fooling around anymore. Their championship window might close sooner than later. And with that in mind, Siemian is their best bet if they don’t want to test the market.
Will it be enough? We’ll just have to wait and see.