NFL roundup: Demaryius Thomas wants quick end to QB battle
By Brad Weiss
Heading into the 2017 NFL season, there are still questions about who will be the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos.
The Denver Broncos head into the 2017 NFL season with one of the better defenses in the league, though there is still a major question mark on the other side of the ball. The QB battle between Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch is sure to be the hottest topic this summer, and star wide receiver Demaryius Thomas wants it to be over by Week 2 of the preseason. Last offseason, Siemian beat out Lynch and veteran Mark Sanchez, but Lynch is a former first rounder, and it may be his time to shine.
Staying with the Denver Broncos, star linebacker Von Miller is coming for Vic Beasley. Beasley led the NFL in sacks last season, getting to the quarterback 15.5 times, which is the lowest league-leading total since 2010. Miller is widely considered the best pass rusher in the NFL, so it is very likely that he will be at the top of the league once again in 2017. Denver will need everything they can get from their defense, as a ton of question marks remain on offense.
Todd Gurley was the 2015 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, as he had a breakout season with the Los Angeles Rams. In a dreadful season for the team last year, Gurley saw his numbers take a big dip, but he is hopeful for the 2017 NFL season. Gurley feels that new head coach Sean McVay’s offense is very “Todd-Friendly,” which could mean trouble for the rest of the league.
Cliff Avril does not want to hear any more nonsense about there being a discord in the Seattle Seahawks locker room, calling it “fake news.” This weekend, Avril was the latest Seahawks player to shutdown the rumors of a broken locker room, saying the team is very solid behind closed doors. The Seahawks are once again a team to beat in the NFC and come into the 2017 season looking to get back to the Super Bowl.
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In some Jay Cutler-related news, it seems one former Chicago Bear feels that he would have brought the team four Super Bowl wins. Dan Hampton, who played with 12 different quarterbacks during his time with the Bears, spoke at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, calling the position a missing piece of the puzzle. The 85 Bears are widely considered to boast the best defense in the history of the NFL, though they won only one title.