John Elway Dismisses Broncos QB Trade Rumors
Denver Broncos general manager John Elway was quick to shoot down rumors on Wednesday about his team looking to add another quarterback to their roster. Elway went so far as to declare the rumors as “irresponsible, fake news!!” on his twitter page. It was only a matter of time before people began to wonder if the Denver Broncos are going to have enough firepower on offense this year to complement a defense that is built to win right now.
As it stands, the top candidates to become the Denver Broncos starting quarterback are Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch. During the draft this past spring, the team added Chad Kelly with the final selection of the 7th round, and they also signed Kyle Sloter as an undrafted free agent. Siemian, who played most of the 2016 season and attempted 486 passes, still looks to be the front-runner. However, with Siemian under center, the Broncos offense finished the 2016 regular season ranked 21st in the league in passing yards and, even worse, they were ranked 27th in rushing yards. Leading rusher Devontae Booker only managed 3.5 yards per carry as the entire offense struggled most of the season. Consequently, the team lost three out of their last four games to finish with a 9-7 record. All this after a promising beginning to the season in which the team won its first four games. But John Elway still believes the right man to lead the offense is currently on the roster.
Back in May, Elway stated, “Head coach Vance Joseph and his staff will pick the right guy. But they’re going to all work. It’s going to be a great competition.”
If Elway really believes what he is saying, then concern in Denver should be expected. The Broncos defense is still very formidable, but the championship window will not be open forever. The team’s offense, and specifically, the quarterback position, needs to operate with a greater sense of urgency and find away to keep pace so the team can position themselves to make another run at the Lombardi trophy.
Due to the fact that neither Siemian nor Lynch has taken control of the job, rumors of the Broncos front office searching elsewhere for the answer weren’t really that surprising. There are, in fact, several available options, including free agent Colin Kaepernick and Bengals backup A.J. McCarron, who could be available in a trade. General manager John Elway, as stated above, took little time to squash those reports, and he did so in presidential fashion.
[Featured Image by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images]
