The Denver Broncos took a big step toward determining who their Week 1 starting quarterback will be with the way the two contenders for the job performed on Saturday, but the team has yet to make the announcement official — not even within the confines of the locker room.
After Denver’s preseason win over the San Francisco 49ers, wide receiver Demaryius Thomas said he has “no idea” who the starting quarterback will be. He also indicated he is getting a little impatient with the situation.
“I am sure they have some name in in mind. I have no idea what they will do,” he said, via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “We will find out when we go back to work. It will be good for the receivers to get the timing down. To find out soon, it will help us. We are still going to do our job to help the team to get better.”
Paxton Lynch was once again outplayed by Trevor Siemian on Saturday. Lynch was the beneficiary of three 49ers turnovers in the first half, turning them into an 11-yard touchdown drive and two field goal drives of 26 and 11 yards. The former Memphis star completed 9-of-13 passes for just 39 yards. He also missed some open receivers and threw into traffic, once again proving he has a long way to go in making reads.
Lynch got the start, with Siemian taking over late in the second half. Last year’s starter completed 8-of-11 passes for 93 yards and threw a 19-yard touchdown. Those who watched the game will tell you Siemian outperformed Lynch by a mile.
Thomas has already been challenged by his new head coach this offseason, but it’s hard for receivers to build chemistry with two players at once. Given the way Lynch looked on Saturday, the Broncos would be wise to just name Siemian the starter.
