Written by Chris Burke at SI.com
Generally speaking, holding a quarterback competition in August is a bad place for an NFL team to be. There are some exceptions to the rule, like if said team is gauging a rookie’s progress or—very rare—two excellent QBs are fighting for one spot.
The majority of the league’s starting quarterbacks appear to be settled, with the preseason set to begin in full next week, but a few jobs remain open.
A primer on 10 potential battles for training camp, and beyond:
DENVER: TREVOR SIEMIAN VS. PAXTON LYNCH
The Broncos’ first padded practice last week led to this QB review from new coach Vance Joseph: “Did I like what I saw? Not really. Both guys had issues today.”
A hiccup here or there in late July (up against the Broncos’ vaunted defense, no less) hardly is reason to push the panic button. However, with both Siemian and Lynch enduring their ups and downs, this battle is set up to drag deep into August.
Siemian was a 14-game starter for the Broncos last season, following a Super Bowl 50 win and Peyton Manning’s retirement. He threw for 3,801 yards, 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, while the Denver offense struggled to shift out of neutral. In his two starts, Lynch completed 59.3% of his passes, for 327 yards, one TD and one INT.
Assuming Osweiler has not made significant improvements to his game since OTAs last month, him claiming the starting gig would mean both Kessler and Kizer scuffled through a disappointing August. The Browns have maintained that Osweiler is part of the competition (and he’s starting the first preseason game), but it seems clear that the preference is either for Kessler to hold onto his No. 1 job or for the rookie Kizer to go steal it.
“[Kessler’s] still the guy who demonstrates knowing the offense the best,’’ Cleveland coach Hue Jackson in late July, per Cleveland.com. “He’s the guy that has played the most football for us in that group, and I think he deserves a chance to walk out there first.”
Kizer did work his way into first-team reps during OTAs, and he has done so again early in camp. It’s a safe bet, for the moment, that Kessler gets the starting nod when Cleveland begins its preseason schedule on Aug. 10, but the rotation on Aug. 21 (Giants) and Aug. 26 (Bucs) will clear up the picture further.
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