Broncos HC Joseph: QB battle ‘about performance not potential’

Denver Broncos head coach Vance Joseph said after Saturday’s preseason road win over the San Francisco 49ers that he’s “not sure” when a decision will be made about who’ll start under center for the team’s Sept. 11 regular season opener.

“The timeframe is not important,” Joseph said. “What’s important is that we get it right.”

And getting it right, Joseph said, is to judge on merit alone.

“That does not matter,” the Broncos head coach said when asked if draft status would be a factor in his decision.

Saturday night’s starter Paxton Lynch was drafted No. 26 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft, after the Broncos traded up to get him, while Trevor Siemian was drafted in the seventh round the previous year.

“Whoever wins the job, wins the job. He’s the best guy for our football team. So, where you’re drafted does not matter. It’s about performance not potential, “Joseph said.

Joseph echoed general manager John Elway’s statement earlier this week, saying that the evaluation process would go throughout the preseason but there’s no timetable regarding a decision.

“As we said, we wanted to see these guys through preseason and eventually we’re going to name a starter. We just don’t know when,” Elway said.

On Thursday, wide receiver Demaryius Thomas said it was his “hope” that a starting quarterback would be named after Saturday’s game, but did not “know for sure.”

After the game, Thomas said, “It will be good for the receivers to get the timing down. To find out soon, it will help us. We are still going to do our job to help the team to get better.”

Said Joseph: “So, it could be this week. It could be next week. But, we’re going to go back and watch the tape and see where we are.”

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.