Kubiak already announced that Trevor Siemian will start in the their preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams.
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Aug 20, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos tight end John Phillips (86) celebrates with quarterback Paxton Lynch (12) and wide receiver Durron Neal (5) after his touchdown in the third quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. “The other night he got off to a slow start, but he finished extremely strong”, Kubiak said.
On Saturday, Siemian and Sanchez will play 1.5 quarters apiece, and Paxton Lynch will show what he can do the remainder of the game.
The once talented but frustrating young Jet has graduated into a talented but frustrating veteran, muddling a Denver quarterback competition that no one can get a hold of in a 31-24 preseason loss to the 49ers in Denver.
One thing the other two quarterbacks have shown is that they won’t be flawless either, so if there are going to be the mistakes, it may as well be with the player that has the most talent. “It’s down to the nitty-gritty here and we don’t have to, but I’m going to make a decision next week and we’re going to go to work”.
The smart money is on either Mark Sanchez or Trevor Siemian jogging out with the first-string offense and a quick trigger finger by Kubiak, who will want some type of clarity heading into the final matchup of the preseason against the Cardinals and won’t be afraid to yank an underperformer. Sanchez threw an interception in his first preseason game at Chicago, then lost two fumbles in the red zone Saturday against the 49ers. The second and third string players are competing for roster spots, but I thought we’d take a look at some of the winners and losers among the 49ers offensive starters. “Poor, poor quarterbacking play”.
As for if the longevity of this competition, Kubiak isn’t anxious, nor surprised by it. Of the three, Siemian does that best, based on his play in training camp.
“I just can’t turn the ball over”, Siemian, a Northwestern product, said via ESPN. “I’ll make that decision later in the week”. “Talking to him, he says he feels really good about it”. He didn’t throw a TD or a pick Saturday on a 10-for-17 night that saw him toss for 120 yards. He went into the game and made two mistakes, losing two fumbles.
Blaine Gabbert is expected to start at quarterback against the Broncos, with his backups being rookie Jeff Driskel and the newly acquired Christian Ponder. In order for him to actually win the starting quarterback position, he’ll need Sanchez to do a lot worse, and himself to do a lot better. Lynch, even with a significant learning curve because of the difference between the offense he played in at Memphis and the one he’s in with the Broncos, isn’t going anywhere.
Sanchez was also asked if it was hard to not know who would be the team’s starter so deep in the preseason.
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“A few weeks ago, I told coach that if it would help us, I’d be willing to play there”, said Davis, who is coming back after missing last season on a health sabbatical.
