When the Broncos saw Peyton Manning retire and Brock Osweiler defect to Houston, Mark Sanchez emerged as the emergency option. With the emergency resolved, Sanchez no longer was needed.
But the Broncos still needed a third quarterback. So why did the team decide to go with Austin Davis instead of Sanchez?
“We just made a decision to go in a different direction,” coach Gary Kubiak told reporters on Sunday, via quotes distributed by the team. “Mark’s obviously had a lot of experience and stuff, but we went young at the quarterback position so that’s why we also brought Austin in here. We have confidence in these guys and we’ll go to work. We wish Mark all of the best. He was a true professional and a great person through everything.”
The different direction likely was driven by Sanchez’s $4.5 million salary and the seventh-round pick they would have had to surrender to the Eagles if they’d kept him around. While a seventh-round pick isn’t much, that’s where the Broncos found their current starting quarterback.
Not long ago, Kubiak was evaluating Davis as he entered the league.
“I studied him really hard coming out,” Kubiak said. “He has a little bit of background of my verbiage. He’s been in some quarterback rooms of guys that have played for me so I thought that we could make up some ground here pretty quick. When he’s had some opportunities, he’s done some good stuff. We’ll see. We’ll take it a day at a time, but I think he’ll catch up pretty quick.”
If he does, Davis possibly could become the next guy in if Siemian struggles, given the practical difficulties associated with putting a first-rounder into the fray but then yanking him if he plays like the rookie that he is.