Denver Broncos' Full Position Breakdown and Depth-Chart Analysis at Quarterback

The Denver Broncos have to do what most Super Bowl winners don’t have to worry about the year after a championship is won; they have to find a new quarterback. Like the 2000 Baltimore Ravens, who won it all but didn’t bring Trent Dilfer or Tony Banks back the next season, the Broncos have to find a new starting quarterback with their top two passers from the previous season gone.

Earlier this year, future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning decided to retire. It was a move that was not unexpected as Manning’s play fell off during the 2015 season. The Broncos seemed to be ready with Brock Osweiler waiting in the wings behind him, but things didn’t turn out that way.

Instead of staying with the Broncos after four years of developing behind Manning, Osweiler chose to move on in free agency and signed with the Houston Texans. This move was unexpected, and it caused a situation for the Broncos that we don’t normally see with a defending Super Bowl champion.

The Broncos made a couple of moves at the position to create competition in training camp. In those two transactions, they were able to add a veteran with starting experience and a rookie who could be their franchise quarterback.

Here is the full position breakdown and depth-chart analysis of the quarterbacks on the Broncos roster.

Starter: Mark Sanchez

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The Broncos traded a conditional seventh-round pick in 2017 to the Philadelphia Eagles for veteran quarterback Mark Sanchez earlier this year. He may not be the most exciting option for the Broncos, but his starting experience and low price tag ($4.5 million salary in 2016) made him a sound addition.

Sanchez wasn’t a great fit for the Eagles offense, but he does have the athleticism required to shine in head coach Gary Kubiak's offense. He also has experience in this style of offense from his college days at USC. Sanchez can make good decisions with the football if he’s not constantly under duress. The Broncos' revamped offensive line should help keep Sanchez safe in 2016.

It’s early in the offseason, but tight end Virgil Green has already established strong chemistry with Sanchez.

“It’s great. He’s very vocal. I feel like he’s a great leader. I like the way he throws the ball. I like the way he moves.” Green continued his praise of the veteran quarterback, “He has a nice, tight spiral. He’s a smart guy, and that’s what you look for in a quarterback.”

Sanchez has taken to his opportunity with the Broncos. He’s already working with his receivers outside of the training facility as he set up a passing camp earlier this year in California.

Never before has Sanchez had such an opportunity. Most will remember him early in his pro career when he was with the New York Jets after being the team’s first-round pick in the 2009 NFL draft. For those first two seasons, Sanchez led the Jets to the AFC Championship Game each year on the back of a great defense and (mostly) mistake-free football on offense.

Even during those salad days with the Jets, Sanchez never had a single 1,000-yard receiver. Now, he’s likely to start on a team that has not one, but two such receivers in Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders.

Renewed vigor, a realization of this opportunity and better weapons could see Sanchez rack up the wins with the Broncos in 2016.

Primary Backup: Paxton Lynch

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

For only the second time under the guidance of general manager John Elway, the Broncos moved up in the first round to secure the talents of a certain player. The player the Broncos targeted this year in the first round was Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch. The Broncos began the 2016 NFL draft with the 32nd overall pick after winning it all in 2015, but they had to trade with the Seattle Seahawks to move up to the 26th spot.

Lynch is tall, measuring in at 6’7”, 245 pounds. He sees the field well and has no problem spreading the ball around the field. He has a compact throwing motion, good footwork in a clean pocket and can get rid of the ball quickly and cleanly as a passer.

One of his best abilities comes through when needing to keep a play alive. Lynch—a former high school Wing T quarterback—almost transforms into a running back as a runner. Even though he’s tall, Lynch doesn’t have an elongated running style and can hurt a defense as a runner. Lynch is a real threat as a runner, and there are more than a few times on film at Memphis where he lowered his shoulder and powered through arm tackles to pick up extra yards.

That rushing ability is going to make him especially dangerous in the Kubiak system. Lynch will be able to execute bootlegs, rollouts and designed quarterback runs to keep the chains moving.

He needs to prove that he can throw deep in the pros. At Memphis, Lynch wasn't asked to air the ball out often, so his deep touch as a passer is a bit of a question. Lynch has worked under center before, but he mostly operated out of the shotgun in college, so he’ll need to sharpen his ability to scissor-step back while reading a defense after taking the snap.

Last year’s first-round pick Shane Ray had some advice for Lynch.

“I told Paxton to take it day-by-day. That’s all you can really do as a rookie. With all of the pressures that you’re going to have of being the leader of your rookie class—Paxton’s expectation is going to be to come in and play along with [QB] Mark [Sanchez] and take his tutelage.”

Ray opined, “Whatever the organization has planned for him, it’s going to bring its own kind of stresses. He just has to relax, take it day-by-day, take the coaching, embrace being a rookie, just have fun and love your job.”

Ray and the rest of the Broncos defense is going to give Lynch the greatest test he’s ever had as a quarterback every day in practice.

Lynch was able to take down No. 10 Ole Miss during his final season at Memphis, and he’s done well under pressure. In fact, Lynch was the No. 1 quarterback in this draft class when blitzed. According to ESPN's employee-only stat database, he had a 67.9 percent completion rate, 11 touchdowns and only one interception when teams sent five or more pass-rushers. This may be the most important asset of Lynch—he’s cool under fire. If he can carry that over to the NFL, then Lynch should have a long and fruitful career with the Broncos.

Developmental Prospect: Trevor Siemian

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

The team wants to microwave Lynch’s learning curve, and thus they only have three quarterbacks on the roster at this time. The player at the bottom of the depth chart at the position is second-year pro Trevor Siemian.

The Broncos added Siemian in the seventh round of the 2015 NFL draft, and he made the 53-man roster as a rookie last year. He was coming back from a knee injury that cut his final season at Northwestern short, but Siemian did a good job competing in training camp—even while wearing a large and cumbersome knee brace.

There are some things that immediately jump out when watching Siemian in practice. First, his arm strength is off the charts. He can fire the ball 70 yards downfield with little effort. His throwing motion is quick, and he delivers the ball in a hurry to his receivers. Second, Siemian has the athleticism to keep plays alive with his feet while keeping his eyes downfield. Finally, he has the leadership skills necessary at the quarterback position. Siemian will bark his cadence with great energy, and he has no problem guiding his teammates down the field with enthusiasm.

However, Siemian has one major problem that may hold him back in his pro career.

He can bomb the ball down the field, but Siemian has poor accuracy on intermediate and deep throws. His pass placement is all over the place, and this makes his passes more difficult to adjust to and catch. Siemian doesn’t lead his receivers like he should when throwing passes closer to the line of scrimmage. He can lead a receiver or tight end right into contact as his anticipation as a passer is a bit slow.

After a year of watching Siemian every day in practice that’s open to the media, he has the looks of a career backup or spot starter in the NFL—if he stays healthy and plays up to his potential.

Summary

There isn’t a quarterback controversy in the Mile High City. Instead, it’s more of a quarterback question mark. If Sanchez begins the year as the starter, he may not finish the year at the top of the depth chart.

Lynch is going to get an accelerated learning curve, and it will be interesting to see how he responds to a crash course in the NFL. He’s going to go up against the best defense in the league each day in practice—and that should quickly hone his skills as a pro passer.

Siemian has the arm talent to stick around on the final roster again this year. However, his best spot on the depth chart—even in the future—may be as a reserve or backup quarterback.

The Broncos are set to win now with defense—even if Sanchez is their starter early in the season. However, this team’s future is Lynch—and what a bright future it may be for the potential franchise quarterback.

All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via the Broncos' media department unless otherwise noted.

Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac. Transaction history provided by Pro Sports Transactions.