Clough: Denver Broncos don’t have ‘viable starting quarterback’

If what Sandy Clough sees out of the Denver Broncos quarterbacks a couple of weeks into training camp and one preseason keeps trending the way it is, it might be a long season in the Mile High City.

The 104.3 The Fan host said on Friday that, “bottom line,” the Denver Broncos don’t have a quarterback who can lead them past the divisional round of the playoffs.

“The bottom line is the Broncos don’t have a viable starting quarterback, viable in the sense that they don’t have a quarterback who can lead them not only to the playoffs but at least up to or through the divisional round,” Clough said. “They don’t have a quarterback who makes them a serious, Super Bowl-contending team at this point.”

Clough’s comments come after head coach Vance Joseph called both Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch’s performances during Thursday’s preseason opener in Chicago “solid.”

“I was satisfied. Trevor was solid. He made some nice plays in the pass game. Paxton had some nice plays, but we had so many penalties,” Joseph said on Thursday night. “Overall it was a solid performance, but the penalties kind of killed us offensively. It’s hard to say who played well because of the penalties.”

Siemian started Thursday against the Bears, and Lynch will start Saturday’s game in San Francisco against the 49ers.

Joseph said he wants to see consistency from Lynch over the next week, which will include two joint practices at the 49ers facility in Santa Clara, California.

“Decision making is always an important part for me from that position, ball placement. Just to go play well and have success,” Joseph said. “Relax, go play, throw it around, have success and move the ball and score points for us.”

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