Evans: Making sense of the crowded Broncos quarterback situation

Oh boy, where to start? Let’s go quarterback by quarterback on the Denver Broncos roster.

1. Kyle Sloter

Hey, I loved the story. Who wouldn’t?

An undrafted kid out of the University of Northern Colorado making a legitimate bid to be the Broncos backup quarterback? Too good to be true?

In the end, it was.

It’s obvious Broncos management didn’t share the same optimism about Sloter that the fans and media did.

General manager John Elway went out of his way to make it clear how he shared with Sloter the “big bump” that goes from preseason to the regular season. It was also clear Denver just didn’t believe Sloter could be trusted as a “one-snap-away” backup to the fragile Trevor Siemian.

Right or wrong, they felt they had to have a veteran backup, even if that back up isn’t very good.

I get it. Coaches are more about avoiding risk than they are gambling on reward. A veteran backup, warts and all, is more trustworthy for a coach than a young unknown, no matter how enticing his talent may be.

So, Sloter not making the 53-man roster I understand.

What I don’t understand is not making a serious bid to keep him on the practice squad.

After all the work the team put into Sloter, and with the encouraging results, why wouldn’t you want to continue that development? Why would you let Minnesota outbid you?

Outbid isn’t even a very good word to use here. The Broncos made a “meh” effort to keep Sloter offering him the practice squad minimum. In a league where finding good quarterbacks is difficult, and for a team like the Broncos that has struggled with it post-Manning, wouldn’t the more the better make sense?

2. Brock Osweiler

Put me in the minority on this one, but I think the “Return of Brock” — sounds like the latest title in a franchise movie series — is a good move.

Desperate times make for desperate measures. Both sides were equally desperate. The Broncos needed a veteran quarterback because they clearly don’t believe Sloter was the answer (see above), and Osweiler was desperate for a lifeline after his career had been dashed upon the rocks.

The supposed bad blood between Osweiler and the Broncos over his departure? Easily fixed because of how both sides needed each other.

The traitorous feelings Denver fans have about being “jilted” by Osweiler? Far be it for me to tell Broncos fans how to think, but you’ve got to get over it.

Very few of you wouldn’t have done what Osweiler did.

Remember, the Broncos came in with a relatively low-ball offer of between $11 million to $13 million per year. Once the Texans blew Osweiler away by offering $18 million, you could see how this would go.

Even when Elway caved and quickly erased his line in the sand and jumped his offer up to $16 million, the damage was already done. By that point, Osweiler felt insulted by the way he perceived he was treated, losing his job to Peyton Manning and then the low-ball (in his eyes) offer.

He was gone. And again, I ask any of you to be honest with yourself. Wouldn’t you have done the same thing?

I was bothered more by Osweiler stiffing his teammates when it came to the White House visit and the team receiving its Super Bowl rings. He should’ve been there. Heck with missing an OTA practice with Houston in May. He should’ve been there to celebrate something of which he was a very important part.

If this was truly about being a Texan and showing he was all about being a Texan, he should’ve celebrated with his Broncos teammates and then gone back to H-town and showed off his gaudy new Super Bowl ring with the implied message of, “You want one of these? I know what it takes. Follow me.”

Osweiler being back makes sense to me. He can be trusted, as a now veteran quarterback, to go out and at least keep the ship steady.

He has some understanding of the Mike McCoy offense. He has some built in rapport with the two highest paid players on the offense — Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders.

He has the built-in confidence that goes with having played the best football of his career here in Denver.

And, oh yeah, he comes cheap.

It’s a good move.

3. Paxton Lynch

Lynch is the big loser in all of this. His stock has sunk to the point that even while his injury may keep him out longer than was originally expected, there’s an element of, “Hey kid, take your time. No rush for you to come back. Take it easy.”

As in, the Broncos are in no rush to get his battered confidence and shockingly undeveloped game out there anytime soon.

I won’t lie to you. He’s on the path to being a bust. I still hold out hope that the draft analysis was correct — he is a two- to three-year project and still has time to figure it all out.

But hope is fading.

4. Trevor Siemian

Siemian’s the forgotten man in all of this.

Maybe it’s not surprising. After all, he’s been quiet and unassuming and seemingly in the background the whole time he’s been with the Broncos — even when he has been the starting quarterback.

While everyone was freaking out about the departure of Sloter and the “Return of Brock,” the starting quarterback of the Denver Broncos barely was mentioned.

That’s telling.

Telling from the standpoint that fans aren’t sold on Siemian and telling from the standpoint I believe Broncos management is just itching to put someone in there besides him.

What this means for Siemian is simple: The guy won’t be cut much slack. He needs to go out and ball. He needs to play at such a high level even Elway will — grudgingly — have to acknowledge Siemian is the guy.

I’m OK with that.

Such is the state of the Broncos quarterback situation that nothing can be given. Everything has to be earned.

… Oh, almost forgot …

5. Chad Kelly

Kelly’s the undisputed winner in all of this.

He can just sit back this year, rehab in a redshirt season, and let his legend grow as Broncos fans dream of “what could be” next season when this whole circus will likely start up again.

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