The starting quarterback for the reigning Super Bowl champs?
It might be a Northwestern alum.
Trevor Siemian, who was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the seventh round of last year's NFL Draft, is very much in the mix to succeed Peyton Manning as the Broncos' starting quarterback, according to the Denver Post's Troy Renck.
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The Broncos' quarterback situation has been a hot topic during this NFL offseason. Manning rode into the sunset, retiring after winning his second Super Bowl in February, and backup Brock Osweiler signed a free-agent deal with the Houston Texans.
And while Denver brought in former USC star Mark Sanchez as a free agent and used a first-round draft pick on Memphis' Paxton Lynch, head coach Gary Kubiak is telling reporters he "wouldn't sleep on" Siemian to beat out both for the starting job.
"I think Trevor has a maturity to him. He’s kind of the sleeper, I would say. Trevor knows the offense. He’s very comfortable and can throw the ball too," Kubiak said, quoted in Renck's story. "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 didn't throw a pass during his rookie season, but if he were to beat out Sanchez and Lynch for the Broncos' starting gig, he'd be the first Northwestern product to start an NFL game at quarterback in the 21st century. Two others — Brett Basanez and Mike Kafka — threw a combined 27 passes in five NFL games during the 2006 and 2011 seasons.