6 QB training camp battles: Broncos' derby looks most intriguing

The Hall-of-Fame quarterback is out. A former seventh-round pick who split college snaps and hasn’t thrown a regular-season NFL pass is in. For the defending Super Bowl champions, this is a possibility.

What might be the biggest NFL depth chart debate of the next six weeks is shaping up in Denver, predicated on who will replace Peyton Manning for the Denver Broncos. And while NFL history and experienced assumption suggests Mark Sanchez is next in line, that succession plan may already be in jeopardy. And not via first-round pick Paxton Lynch. Instead, 2015 seventh-round pick Trevor Siemian has emerged as a legitimate candidate to take the coveted starting job left open by the departures of Manning and former Broncos backup Brock Osweiler.

Much will be hashed out over the next six weeks of training camp and preseason, but one reality has sunk in: Siemian appears ready to make the decision more of a debate than previously believed.

For anyone in tune with the Broncos over the past year, that shouldn’t be a surprise. Going all the way back to the 2015 preseason, there was no shortage of talk from those close to head coach Gary Kubiak about how fond he was of Siemian. From the outside looking in, the affection was a bit of a head-scratcher. From a statistical perspective, there was no shortage of red flags on Siemian. He split time at quarterback while at Northwestern. He lacked elite accuracy, completing 58.9 percent of his 934 college attempts. In four seasons, he threw 27 touchdown passes and 24 interceptions, including seven touchdown passes against 11 interceptions as a senior. And then there was the torn ACL his final season at Northwestern.

Ultimately, Siemian’s size and considerable arm strength made him a fringe NFL prospect. Although it was a surprise that Denver drafted him, sources close to Kubiak said the coach liked some of Siemian’s intangibles and raw skills, and that’s why he clung to the roster in 2015. To Kubiak, Siemian looked like a playmaker when he was healthy. And he had the mental toughness to battle at the position and bounce back from injury.

One season later, Siemian has a better grasp on the offense than Sanchez and Lynch. His accuracy has improved, too. It’s fair to question whether that would remain the case if he were facing regular-season NFL defenses. But his progress impressed Kubiak to the point that it was a factor in Denver refusing to cave in on an array of Colin Kaepernick trade hurdles. Bottom line: Kubiak likes Siemian to the point that the second-year player could win the starting job in the preseason, despite Sanchez’s wealth of starting experience and Lynch’s high-profile draft status.

One year ago, it was unthinkable that Denver could go from Manning to Osweiler and then ultimately settle on Siemian as the starting quarterback. But that’s what could happen in the next six weeks.

Of course, the Broncos aren’t alone. Here are five other quarterback races that will draw preseason attention …

Cleveland Browns, Robert Griffin III vs. Josh McCown

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: an NFL coaching staff talking up Robert Griffin III and a local media contingent that isn’t quite buying it.

It already feels a little bit like RG3 is reliving a little bit of his 2015 offseason, when the Washington Redskins coaching staff was trying to put a good face on a turbulent situation. Granted, it’s not quite to that level in Cleveland, but Griffin’s offseason debut with the Browns was less than perfect. That’s no reason to start hitting alarm buttons yet. Training camp and the preseason matter most. The rest of the offseason work will be forgotten and a starting quarterback will emerge.

Even with the conditional return of Josh Gordon, the developing receiving group would seem to favor McCown, who has dealt with talent deficits before. McCown also fits the mold of quarterbacks that coach Hue Jackson has had success with in the past.

Like in Washington, Griffin’s upside should earn him a longer look through any struggles. But with the Browns on what is essentially a one-year test season, that look isn’t going to guarantee Griffin a starting job. If he can’t produce in the preseason and McCown proves to be the more steady player, this debate won’t last into the regular season. Jackson is going to go with the player who separates himself in live opportunities, plain and simple.

New York Jets, Geno Smith vs. Ryan Fitzpatrick’s contract offers

This will be a debate only as long as Fitzpatrick allows it. Fitzpatrick should sign in the coming days. It makes almost zero sense if he doesn’t. The market has spoken loudly – and it exists only with the Jets. Once Fitzpatrick realizes that and signs, Smith goes back to the bench. But the longer Fitzpatrick sticks to his holding pattern, the more opportunity he gives Smith to emerge as a comparable choice.

Make no mistake, Fitzpatrick is and will remain the top option once he’s in the building. Not only due to his performance in 2015, but also his relationship with the offensive staff and the veteran playmakers. Unless he does something inexplicable out of spite (retire or sign elsewhere for a lesser offer), it’s his job.

The only other wild card in this is time. If Fitzpatrick lets the situation carry deep into camp and even preseason games, he surrenders important reps to Smith and gives him the preseason stage to change minds. That’s still an unlikely scenario. But the Fitzpatrick stalemate has already carried on far longer than most inside the Jets thought it would.

Philadelphia Eagles, Sam Bradford vs. Chase Daniel vs. Carson Wentz

For now, this boils down to Bradford versus Daniel. But it would be naïve to believe that Wentz can’t quickly push himself into the conversation if he has a fruitful preseason. To be clear: that’s not the plan at the moment. The Eagles would like to redshirt Wentz this season, giving him an opportunity to adjust to NFL speed while also absorbing as much of the offensive playbook as possible. In theory, that should translate to a season of inactive games.

As for the starting job, Bradford is cemented into the driver’s seat for the moment. He had his first healthy offseason in years. Even with the presence of Daniel and Wentz hanging over him, Bradford’s chances for success won’t get any better in Philadelphia. He has had plenty of offseason work, aside from a momentary blip when he attempted to force a trade during organized team activities. That said, Daniel’s familiarity with coach Doug Pederson’s offense gives him an opportunity in the preseason. Should Bradford flop and Daniel thrive (or Bradford get hurt, which might be more likely), Daniel could still make the starting job an argument.

San Francisco 49ers, Blaine Gabbert vs. Colin Kaepernick

Kaepernick may be the guy who is getting paid, but there is no shortage of talk that his relationship to the locker room has been irreparably damaged. That may have had more to do with Kaepernick’s attempt to depart this offseason than money. Former 49ers guard Alex Boone – who signed with the Minnesota Vikings in free agency – didn’t dispel that notion. Last week, Boone said Gabbert will win the starting job in San Francisco partially because he “has the support of the group.” Just from the perspective of the team rallying around one quarterback, that player looks more like Gabbert than Kaepernick.

New coach Chip Kelly remains the wild card in this drama. Kelly will use the quarterback he deems to be more suited to his offense. While Kaepernick has the athleticism, his accuracy and ability to make quick decisions doesn’t appear to be a good fit. Kelly has pointed to injuries, but those issues have also stretched back to Kaepernick’s healthier days, too. Meanwhile, Kelly has gone out of his way to talk up Gabbert’s athleticism and size, a narrative that has seemed to tilt the competition into Gabbert’s favor.

At least one thing is clear heading into camp: Kaepernick has a lot of work to do where it concerns his relationship to his teammates and the confidence he inspires within the locker room. Playing well in the preseason would go a long way. For now, the starting job appears to be Gabbert’s to lose.

Los Angeles Rams, Jared Goff vs. Case Keenum

Jared Goff taking over as the starting quarterback for the Rams is academic. But don’t be surprised if coach Jeff Fisher is more patient than anyone expects. Few remember that Fisher didn’t install Steve McNair as a full-time starter until his third NFL season. Ultimately, McNair appeared in 13 games (starting six) during his first two seasons, largely sitting behind an adequate-at-best Chris Chandler. And while some might point to Vince Young having started by Week 4 as a rookie, the reality is that Fisher was pressured by team owner Bud Adams to get the ball rolling on that campaign.

These are different times for the Rams. There’s a different kind of pressure being in the middle of a relocation and needing to excite the fan base. So the plan is to get Goff into the saddle when he is ready. It’s possible he’ll show that he’s the better option by the end of the preseason.

A majority of NFL franchises that seriously vetted quarterbacks prior to the draft tabbed Goff as the player most capable of starting out of the gate. If his play is on a comparable level to Keenum in the preseason, the Rams won’t wait to get his development moving. But the bottom line for Fisher is that he wants to put Goff in when he has more chances to succeed than fail. With the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals defenses both on the slate in Weeks 2 and 4, Fisher may tilt toward Keenum in the first month.

There’s no doubt the job will be Goff’s this season. The transition just may not happen until October.