Siemian's Release Creates QB Question
He did not play in a game. In fact, he probably was not around the team very much.
But the Tennessee Titans thought highly of Trevor Siemian.
The New Orleans Saints released the veteran backup quarterback Saturday when Drew Brees, who missed four games with rib injuries, was activated from injured reserve. Siemian became the odd man out in a crowded quarterback room, which consists of backups Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston.
That means the Titans have a decision to make at third-string quarterback, a position that has become vital to some teams around the league amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The Titans could bring Siemian back, or stick with what they have currently in DeShone Kizer.
The Saints signed Siemian to their active roster in late November after Brees was placed on injured reserve, which promoted the Titans to fill the void with Kizer.
For the better part of the first half of the season, Siemian played the role of quarantined quarterback with the Titans, participating in team, position and offensive meetings from home and going to Saint Thomas Sports Park for workouts when the majority of players were away from the facility.
“He's a great guy,” Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill said earlier this season. “He fits the role perfectly, but definitely a tough situation. He's always on the iPad in our meeting room. [quarterbacks coach] Pat [O’Hara] is always carrying him around. We sit him there in the meeting room and face him against the screen, and I’m actually sitting behind them the iPad, so I kind of forget he's there sometimes and then we’ll pipe in and ask him a question and it kind of shocks you, I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, I forgot Trevor (Siemian) is actually here with us.”
Siemian has played in 27 career regular season games with 25 starts, most of which with the Denver Broncos in 2015 and 2016. He has completed 498 of his 841 pass attempts for 5,689 yards and 30 touchdowns. He has thrown 24 interceptions over four NFL seasons.
As for Kizer, the Titans do like his skill set, arm talent and size.
A second-round selection by the Cleveland Browns in 2017 NFL Draft, the 6-foot-4, 235-pounder has a 58.9 career passer rating and has thrown more than twice as many interceptions (24) as touchdown passes.
As a rookie, the Notre Dame product completed just over 50 percent of his passes (255-476) for 2,894 yards and 11 touchdowns. He led the league with 22 interceptions. Additionally, he ran 77 times for 419 yards and five touchdowns.
Prior to signing with the Titans, Kizer spent one season with the Green Bay Packers as a backup and had a brief stint with the Las Vegas Raiders at the beginning of this season before being released in late September.
“It’s been good,” O’Hara said this week of his work with Kizer. “A lot of time spent with him. A lot of it is in the Zoom room. … It’s kind of like on the fringes of everything, working around our normal schedules here at work with him and then working with him later on the field.
“He’s done a good job. It’s not an easy job to be a quarantine quarterback.”
It is now a job for which the Titans now have multiple players to consider.
