The Broncos have been through so many quarterbacks in recent years, it seems hard to keep track. But one characteristic shared by all of the Broncos’ post-Peyton, pre-Russell passers is this: none of them are in consideration to be an NFL starter.

Thursday, one ex-Broncos QB settled for a clear No. 2 role. Another lost his grip on a backup spot.

For Drew Lock, agreeing to a one-year, $4-million contract with incentives makes sense — even though it leaves him as the clear No. 2 quarterback in the wake of Geno Smith’s contract extension.

#Seahawks GM John Schneider had news to break as he sat down for his weekly show with @WymanAndBob this afternoon.

"Drew Lock, man. Let's go – coming back," Schneider said, confirming that the Hawks are re-signing their backup QB.https://t.co/S0EBjX3XTg

— Seattle Sports (@SeattleSports) March 17, 2023

Teams with dicey quarterback situations looked elsewhere. Tampa Bay, for instance, signed Baker Mayfield to join recent second-round pick Kyle Trask. New Orleans backed up the Brinks truck for Derek Carr, then retained Jameis Winston as the backup. Lock didn’t play last season as Smith beat him for the starting job in training camp, then turned in a career season guiding Seattle back to the playoffs.

But for Trevor Siemian, his backup status in the NFL is in peril. The Chicago Bears released Siemian on Thursday after adding ex-Panthers reserve P.J. Walker to serve as Justin Fields’ backup.

Siemian started one game for the Bears last year, against the New York Jets. Unfortunately for Siemian, that day is most remembered for the oblique injury he suffered during pregame warmups. Siemian managed to play through the injury, but the Bears subsequently placed him on injured reserve after he elected to undergo surgery.

Chicago was Siemian’s fifth team since his final Broncos start at Indianapolis in December 2017. Denver traded him to the Minnesota Vikings in the 2018 offseason. Stints with the New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, New Orleans Saints and, finally, the Bears followed.

Siemian has 6 starts since the Broncos traded him. Four were with Sean Payton in New Orleans during the 2021 campaign. The Saints lost all of those games — as did the Jets and Bears in his only starts for those clubs.

The Broncos’ quarterback carousel spun through eight different starting QBs and a running back working in a Wildcat package during the six seasons between Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson. That none of them are considered viable starters says a lot about the depth of the valley in which the Broncos found themselves during that span.

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