Denver Broncos might have a sleeper start at QB

Mark Sanchez has started 72 NFL games and rookie Paxton Lynch has the quarterback of the future label. Yet Denver Broncos coach Gary Kubiak is hinting that a third quarterback is a possibility to be the starting signal caller this season.

Kubiak is impressed with 24-year-old Trevor Siemian, a seventh-round pick in 2015 who hasn't thrown a single pass in an NFL game.

"I think Trevor has a maturity to him. He's kind of the sleeper, I would say," Kubiak told the Denver Post. "Trevor knows the offense. He's very comfortable and can throw the ball too. We've also seen him make big plays in the preseason games under the lights. I wouldn't sleep on Trevor to win the job, either."

Siemian is one of those under-the-radar quarterbacks -- the type who occasionally pop up out of nowhere and win a starting quarterback gig.

He attended Northwestern and his college stats are largely unremarkable -- 27 touchdown passes, 24 interceptions -- before his senior season ended late in the 2014 campaign due to a torn ACL in his left knee.

Kubiak was impressed with the film he saw of Siemian's game action and also liked his arm strength. That led to the Broncos taking the late-round flyer on him in the 2015 draft.

With the retirement of Peyton Manning and the free-agent defection of Brock Osweiler to the Houston Texans, the defending Super Bowl champions are committed to finding a starter out of the group of Sanchez (10 starts over the past three seasons), Lynch (a guy projected to need a year of seasoning) or Siemian (took a knee in one game in 2015).

Sanchez recently underwent surgery on the thumb on his non-throwing hand and that is creating more practice repetitions for Siemian.

"Obviously those two guys are pretty good players," Siemian told the Denver Post of his competition. "Paxton is a really talented guy. He hasn't done a lot yet, but there is a reason he was a first-round pick. He's a big, strong guy -- athletic, big arm. Mark knows what he's doing. So we've got a good room. It's going to be really competitive, and I'm excited to be a part of it."

At this point, all Siemian has done is wedge his way into the mix. It's a development unforeseen by outsiders but one that doesn't surprise Siemian after he spent a full season learning from Manning and Osweiler.

"I'm light years ahead of where I was last year," Siemian said. "I still have a lot of work to do, but I feel pretty confident."