Trevor Siemian’s NFL debut was also his 2015 finale, and it lasted only two seconds and resulted in a loss of 1 yard.
In the waning of the Broncos’ loss at Pittsburgh last December, Siemian trotted onto the field in place of Brock Osweiler to take a kneel-down and preserve his team’s lead before the halftime break.
“That’s a heck of a knee that he took,” Broncos quarterback Mark Sanchez said Monday, laughing. “We talked about it this morning actually. It was pretty cool.”
It was short and insignificant, and for the fans who headed to the concession stands early before halftime, it was never seen.
But throughout his first pro season, Siemian made a habit out of working when fans weren’t watching and cameras weren’t rolling.
Hours before kickoffs on game days, Siemian would own the field for intense, but brief workouts with quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp at his side. From right to left, he would spray passes in the end zone, running through his progressions and honing his footwork as Broncos assistants and trainers volunteered as his receivers.
Those moments and those repetitions were all his, and the few watching mattered more than thousands who weren’t.
But in year two, he’s in the mix for added exposure — in practices and possibly beyond.
After a rookie season spent recovering from a knee injury and learning behind Peyton Manning and Osweiler, Siemian enters 2016 as the most knowledgeable quarterback in Gary Kubiak’s system.
Sanchez arrived in Denver with experience in the West Coast offense, but not Kubiak’s specifically. So when the veteran quarterback gathered some of his receivers and tight ends for an informal throwing camp in California in April, Siemian joined, taking his reps but also helping Sanchez with his.
“For a young guy going into his second year and not playing as much, he’s got a good grip on the system and really helped out in California,” Sanchez said. “He was almost like a player-coach kind of thing in helping me out with reads and footwork and things like that. A lot of the plays I had heard before, but some of the stuff was new to me. He was instrumental in picking that stuff up.”
This time around, Siemian is preparing for a season fully healthy. The injury that prematurely ended his senior season at Northwestern is no longer is an issue.
And the timing couldn’t be better.
Thursday night, the Broncos traded up in the first round to draft Paxton Lynch, a 6-foot-7, 245-pound dual-threat quarterback whose arrival ended months of speculation about the team’s plans at the position. The addition of a young, but promising player solidified the Broncos’ faith in Sanchez, but opened the door for competition — for Siemian especially.
Adding a fourth veteran quarterback could happen before training camp opens, but Broncos general manager John Elway said the priority now is development, ensuring the Broncos’ young quarterbacks receive all the reps they can get.
For Siemian, that means a chance to no longer be the guy behind the scenes.
“It was a great opportunity for me last year to learn a lot obviously from Brock and Peyton,” he said. “At this point, I’m kind of getting antsy to apply some of those things I picked up from those guys. It’s a great opportunity for me and I’m ready to get to it.”
Nicki Jhabvala: njhabvala@denverpost.com or @NickiJhabvala
The Siemian file
A closer look at broncos backup quarterback Trevor Siemian:
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 215 pounds
Age: 24
Hometown: Windermere, Fla.
— Played 44 games (14 starts) in four years (2011-14) at Northwestern
— College stats: 550-of-934 passing, 5,931 yards, 27 passing touchdowns, 24 interceptions
— Drafted by the Broncos in the seventh round (No. 250) in 2015
— Played in one regular-season game, on Dec. 20 at Pittsburgh
Nicki Jhabvala, The Denver Post
