Trevor Siemian "has a legitimate chance" to replace Peyton Manning

It appears as if the joke is over. Trevor Siemian has a real chance at landing the defending Super Bowl champion Broncos' starting QB job.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter in an interview with SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio on Monday morning, "The Trevor Siemian talk and chatter is real. He has a legitimate chance to win the job...the competition is real."

This comes days after Andrew Mason of DenverBroncos.com wrote the following on Siemian:

"He's made it to the second year; every day he remains with the Broncos, his chances of a long career increase. He showed promise last year in the preseason, particularly in terms of his poise and command; he showed the intangibles of an NFL quarterback. His accuracy has improved; based on practice, he has crossed that 60-percent threshold that is now a baseline for being an NFL passer.

He has a legitimate shot now, whether observers want to believe that or not."

Siemian has much more experience in the offense than either of his competitors — Mark Sanchez and rookie Paxton Lynch. He is the only holdover signal caller from last year's team. His play was key in Denver's championship run.

Clearly, Siemian's stock appears to be rising within the Broncos organization as training camp approaches. We'll keep an eye out as to if he's tabbed to replace Peyton Manning.