SIEMIAN IN THE SADDLE

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Even though coach Vance Joseph isn’t saying it, the steady and solid Trevor Siemian appears to have won the Denver Broncos’ quarterback derby for the second straight summer.

The seventh-rounder from Northwestern has outplayed former firstround pick Paxton Lynch of Memphis, whose flashes of athleticism and agility remain overshadowed by poor decisions and bad throws.

Although Joseph isn’t declaring a winner yet, Siemian has impressed a second set of coaches running a second offensive scheme, and Lynch, while he has shown some progress, still doesn’t look ready to run a team.

Joseph appeared to squelch the notion that the decision could come down to which one has the higher perceived upside, insisting: “That does not matter. Whoever wins the job, wins the job — he’s the best guy for our football team. So, where you’re drafted does not matter. It’s about performance, not potential.”

Yet Joseph declined to declare a winner in this QB competition following Denver’s 33-14 pre-season win at San Francisco on Saturday night.

“I saw Paxton make some plays with his legs, which he should. He’s an athlete. And Trevor, he was solid. He was Trevor. He made good decisions. His ball placement was on point tonight. You know, he controlled the huddle, so I was pleased with Trevor,” Joseph said.

Joseph wouldn’t say if the decision was imminent, suggesting: “Again, the timeframe is not important. What’s important is that we get it right.”