Denver Broncos officially name Trevor Siemian as starting QB for 2016 opener

The Denver Broncos officially have a starting quarterback.

Gary Kubiak and the Denver Broncos had already given every indication that the team’s starting quarterback for the 2016 season would be Trevor Siemian. On Monday morning, the organization made it official by announcing that Siemian would serve as the starter for the Super Bowl rematch in Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers.

The team’s official website brings word that Kubiak told both Mark Sanchez and Paxton Lynch, Siemian’s competitors, about the decision before announcing the choice to the team on Monday, and the news comes as no surprise. The former Northwestern quarterback has been operating as Denver’s starter down the stretch of the preseason, and the Broncos have reportedly been less than enthused with the progress of Sanchez as the previously favored option in the role.

Siemian, who stands at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, was drafted in the seventh round (No. 250 overall) by the Broncos in 2015, though he did not attempt a pass in his rookie season. In three games to this point in the preseason, Siemian has connected on 27 of his 43 pass attempts (62.8 percent) for 285 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

With Lynch waiting in the wings as Denver’s “quarterback of the future” considering his first-round pedigree, Siemian’s tenure could be short-lived at the top of the depth chart. Still, there is no denying the fact that Trevor Siemian is a starting NFL quarterback, and that seemed to be a wildly unlikely scenario just a few weeks ago.