Osweiler vs. Siemian
Former Broncos quarterback will face his former teammate Monday
For only the third time in Broncos history, two quarterbacks drafted by the team will go head to head as starters Monday night.
Brock Osweiler, the Broncos’ former quarterback of the future who was drafted in 2012, will return to Denver as a Houston Texan and face his former fellow backup, Trevor Siemian, a seventh-round pick in 2015 who was given the keys to the Broncos’ offense after Osweiler’s defection during the offseason.
The previous two times quarterbacks drafted by the Broncos met in a Denver game, the Broncos were victorious; Jay Cutler defeated Brian Griese and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2008, and Osweiler defeated Cutler and the Chicago Bears in 2015. The hope for Siemian is that he can follow suit. But the quarterback reunion isn’t the focus for his week.
More than two weeks removed from a sprain to his left shoulder that sidelined him for the Broncos’ loss to Atlanta on Oct. 9 and forced him to play through soreness in a subsequent loss at San Diego four days later, Siemian said Thursday he continues to improve.
“I feel good,” Siemian said. “I feel like I made some strides over the last couple of days. Good to get some time off, too. Getting better every day.”
The visible bruising and much of his pain has subsided and he was a full participant in practice Thursday.
“I think he’s been much better,” coach Gary Kubiak said. “Obviously last week when he played in the game he was still somewhat sore. To me, watching him turn a few balls loose, he didn’t rotate the way he normally does, but he’s had some good time on his hands. It’s been a week now since that game, so you can see a difference. We knew it was going to take a little time for him to get back to himself.
In his first game back, at San Diego, Siemian attempted 50 passes (compared to Philip Rivers’ 29), as the Broncos struggled to gain yards on the ground and got off to a slow start. The Broncos’ offense ran only five plays by the time the Chargers had built a 10-0 lead in the second quarter.
Kubiak said he believes Monday’s game against Houston will present the toughest defensive challenge the Broncos have faced this season. The Texans rank No. 2 in the NFL against the pass (189.3 net yards allowed per game), but 29th against the run (126.3 yards). They also have forced opponents to make 40 negative plays this season, tied for seventh.
Having a healthier quarterback provides obvious benefits. Correcting the mistakes around him, though, remains a priority.
“They’ve been making people do a lot of negative stuff,” Kubiak said. “So we got to be on top of our stuff and make sure we protect our quarterback.”