Trevor Siemian has been outstanding for the Broncos so far this season.
Siemian’s 16 starts come across two seasons, due to injury. He started 14 games for the Broncos in 2016 and won the right to quarterback the Broncos for the 2017 season, fending off Paxton Lynch. In his two starts this season, he has looked markedly improved. This can be attributed a few things, most notably having another offseason of experience, but also the complete overhaul of the Broncos offense. Siemian showed promise last year, and that was with an offensive line that allowed 40 sacks and a running attack that only averaged 70 yards a game after starting running back CJ Anderson went down in week four. He did have two Pro-Bowl receivers on the outside to aid him, but after that the receiving corps was barebones.
So what changed? Head coach Gary Kubiak retired, offensive coordinator Rick Dennison left for Buffalo, quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp is out, the Broncos brought in a new offensive line coach, and the team invested heavily in improving its offensive line with free agency and the draft. Ex-Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy returned to his old position, ex-Raiders offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave came into be the quarterback’s coach, and the Broncos added depth and speed to their receiving group and their running back room. John Elway aggressively addressed the offensive woes that plagued the Broncos and gave his young quarterback much needed help.
A Look At The Stats
In 16 starts, Siemian has an 87.0 quarterback rating, and a 24-12 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Compared to other active quarterbacks in their first 16 starts, that rating is good for 10th out of 28th. That ranking is ahead of Marcus Mariota’s 86.8 rating, Cam Newton’s 84.5 rating, Drew Brees’ 76.9, and Derek Carr’s 76.6. And at the top of the list is Dak Prescott, Ben Roethlisberger, and Russell Wilson, all quarterbacks who had incredibly strong running games to aid their transition to the NFL.
Siemian had no such luxury in his first 14 starts, and now that he does, you can see how it’s helping him. Siemian this year has thrown for a league-leading six touchdowns, rushed for one score, while only throwing two interceptions. Coming into this year, one of the criticisms of Siemian was his arm strength. That was always a silly criticism, as he was dealing with a shoulder A/C joint sprain following week four of 2016. He did show the ability to throw deep last year and has continued to impress with his ball placement so far this year. People tend to forget that the main reason Gary Kubiak wanted to draft Siemian was because of Siemian’s ability to place the ball in stormy Midwest weather. Siemian has also shown his ability to extend plays with his feet, a much-needed skill behind his leaky right tackle. An area he does need to improve in is his vision while scrambling under pressure. It cost him a score or two against the Cowboys, and this ability is what could make him a great quarterback, as opposed to just a good one. This is especially important in a division featuring blue-chip pass rushers on every team.
Overall, Siemian has been incredibly impressive in his first 16 starts. If he continues on an upward trajectory with his improved surrounding cast, Siemian could find himself in the top percentage of NFL quarterbacks. He already proved he could get it done without much help in 2016, so Broncos fans should be very excited to see what he can do with the proper staff and players around him. He could very well end up being a high-end, long-term solution for the Broncos.
