Trevor Siemian

Latest On Bengals QB Joe Burrow

August 12th, 2023 at 10:52am CST by Ben Levine

It’s been quiet on the Joe Burrow front, but the Bengals quarterback showed that he’s progressing from his calf sprain before last night’s game. As ESPN’s Ben Baby writes, Burrow had a throwing session before Friday’s preseason game against the Packers. This was the first time the quarterback has been seen throwing since suffering his injury in July.

Zac Taylor didn’t provide a whole lot of insight after the game, but he acknowledged that Burrow is “progressing as he should.” As Baby notes, Burrow returned to practice on Wednesday for the first time since suffering the leg injury, although the quarterback was obviously just a spectator on the sideline.

The entire organization held their breath when Burrow went down with a non-contact injury during a late-July practice. The quarterback was later diagnosed with a calf strain, with the Bengals asserting that he wouldn’t see the practice field for “several weeks.” Burrow is still out indefinitely, and while that’s led some panicked pundits to wonder if he could miss regular season time, Ian Rapoport reported a few weeks ago that the star quarterback should be ready for Week 1.

“He’s been rehabbing quite a bit,” offensive coordinator Brian Callahan said this week. “He’s doing a good job and to have him out at practice is always beneficial. Guys like seeing him too. I think you saw everybody excited to have him out, standing around watching.”

With Brandon Allen gone, the Bengals will be eyeing a new backup in 2023. 2022 practice-squad player Jake Browning got the first shot at the QB2 role during last night’s preseason game, connecting on 10 of his 17 pass attempts for 95 yards and one interception. Offseason acquisition Trevor Siemian later took over, going 15-of-28 for 121 yards and a pick.

Bengals To Sign QB Trevor Siemian

May 3rd, 2023 at 11:57am CST by Sam Robinson

A few hours after Brandon Allen agreed to terms with the 49ers, the Bengals revealed their new QB2 plan. A month after visiting, Trevor Siemian will become Joe Burrow‘s new backup.

The well-traveled quarterback committed to a one-year Bengals agreement on Wednesday, James Palmer of NFL.com tweets. This will mark a change for the Burrow-era Bengals, who had rostered Allen throughout the former No. 1 overall pick’s career.

For Siemian, the Bengals will be team No. 7. The 31-year-old passer spent last season with the Bears, having signed a two-year contract. Chicago cut Siemian earlier this offseason. The former Broncos starter brings a clear connection to the Bengals, with OC Brian Callahan being on Denver’s staff as an offensive assistant when the team drafted Siemian out of Northwestern in 2015.

Callahan left the Broncos after Siemian’s rookie year, missing his run of starts as Peyton Manning‘s initial successor, but connections often lead to agreements — at just about every level — in the NFL. The Bengals will now have a backup with eight years’ worth of experience. Siemian has made 30 career starts. For his career, Siemian holds a 58.9% completion rate, a 42-28 TD-INT ratio and has averaged 6.7 yards per attempt.

Between the Broncos and Bears, Siemian played for the Vikings, Jets, Titans and Saints. Denver still represents his most notable NFL stop. After the Broncos signed Mark Sanchez and drafted Paxton Lynch in the 2016 first round, they still turned to the 2015 seventh-round pick to succeed Manning. Siemian directed the Broncos to a 9-7 season in 2016 — by far the team’s best post-Manning record — and held off Lynch for the job in 2017. After signing Case Keenum in 2018, the Broncos traded Siemian to the Vikings.

Siemian has started six games since departing Denver. Four of those came with the Saints in 2021. Equipped with a bottom-tier receiver situation, Siemian lost all four starts during a stretch that also included an Alvin Kamara absence. The journeyman did, however, help the Saints defeat the Buccaneers after replacing an injured Jameis Winston. Siemian made a Week 18 start for the Bears last season.

Allen and Siemian agreeing to deals on the same day is probably not coincidental. But the Bengals showed interest in making a change last month. Allen, 30, made six Bengals starts during his three-year Cincinnati run. One of those included a 371-yard, two-touchdown performance in a 2020 win over the Texans. It would seem the Bengals prioritized Siemian, seeing as Allen is now on a 49ers roster housing Brock Purdy, Trey Lance and Sam Darnold.

Bengals To Meet With QB Trevor Siemian

April 4th, 2023 at 4:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

A former seventh-round pick, Trevor Siemian has managed to overcome the odds and become an NFL regular for nearly a decade. The ex-Broncos starter remains a viable backup option, and the Bengals will take a look.

Siemian will head to Cincinnati for a Wednesday meeting, James Palmer of NFL.com tweets. While the Northwestern alum has not been a regular starter since his three-year Broncos tenure wrapped after the 2017 season, teams have continued to add him as a backup.

The Bears released Siemian last month, cutting ties after they had inked the veteran to a two-year, $4MM deal in 2022. Since being traded from the Broncos to the Vikings in 2018, Siemian has played for the Jets, Titans, Saints and Bears. His most notable post-Denver work came in New Orleans in 2021, when a Saints team riddled with QB injuries used him as a four-game starter. New Orleans lost all four games, though the team did defeat Tampa Bay after Siemian replaced an injured Jameis Winston in October 2021.

The Bengals no longer have multiyear Joe Burrow backup Brandon Allen under contract. Allen had been with Cincinnati for the past three seasons. No team has signed the career reserve, but Siemian does offer considerably more in-game seasoning by comparison. The 2015 draftee has started 30 career games.

Siemian, 31, has a clear connection to the Bengals. OC Brian Callahan was in Denver as an offensive assistant during Siemian’s rookie season, when he played behind Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler. The Broncos, after refusing to match the Texans’ Osweiler offer in 2016, turned to Siemian to start their Super Bowl title defense season. Despite having selected Paxton Lynch in the 2016 first round, Denver kept Siemian as its primary starter for most of the next two seasons. Callahan was only present in 2015, however, having joined the Lions’ staff shortly after Super Bowl 50.

Beyond Burrow, only former UDFA Jake Browning resides on Cincinnati’s roster at quarterback. Browning has been with the Bengals for two seasons, but the Super Bowl contenders are eyeing a more seasoned backup.

Bears Release QB Trevor Siemian

March 16th, 2023 at 6:58pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Bears’ recent decision to add P.J. Walker to their quarterback room has resulted in a corresponding move. Per the transaction wire, Chicago has released Trevor Siemian.

The 31-year-old had one year remaining on the deal he signed last offseason, which brought him to his fourth career NFL home. Siemian’s pact gave him his latest backup opportunity, having previously served in the No. 2 role with the Jets and Saints. His career has seen him bounce around since his tenure as the Broncos’ starter came to an end in 2017.

Siemian joined a Bears team which had affirmed Justin Fields as the undisputed starter heading into the season, so it came as little surprise that he was limited to just one start and two appearances. The veteran completed 57% of his passes and complied a passer rating of 76.4 in that time. That performance left his roster status in question entering the offseason.

No guaranteed money was due in 2023 for the former seventh-rounder, making this release an easy one on the Bears’ part. Cutting Siemian will result in $1.965MM in savings while generating a dead money charge of $500K. Turning to Walker will give the team a younger option in the No. 2 spot, though likely not much more in the way of upside.

Now a member of the free agent pool, Siemian faces a shrinking number of potential suitors. The past few days have seen a slew of backup quarterback moves, as teams shake-up their depth charts under center ahead of the draft. That could leave Siemian waiting a while for his next opportunity in the NFL, as he looks to catch on with a fifth career team in the near future.

Justin Fields To Start In Week 13

December 3rd, 2022 at 5:10pm CST by Adam La Rose

DECEMBER 3: Getting Fields back is crucial for the Bears this week as their backup quarterback, Siemian is being placed on IR. To fulfill the backup duties, Chicago has signed the practice squad quarterback, Peterman, to the active roster, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

DECEMBER 2: Justin Fields has made steady progress since suffering a dislocated shoulder, and he will ultimately miss just one game as a result of it. The Bears quarterback is not on the team’s Week 13 injury report, meaning he is in line to start on Sunday.

Fields was carted off the field during Chicago’s Week 11 loss to the Falcons. The injury took away his opportunity to record three consecutive 100-yard rushing games, but more importantly, also left his short- and intermediate-term availability in question. After further testing, it became clear that his return to game action would be dependent on pain management.

The 2021 first-rounder expressed optimism in being able to suit up for Week 12, but was held out. He received first-team reps in practice this week, though, and was listed as a full participant for the past two days. As a result, head coach Matt Eberflus said Fields is “100%” with respect to his health status leading into the upcoming contest against the Packers.

“Right now he feels, and we feel, that the mobility and strength is there for him to protect himself,” Eberflus added, via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, on Twitter, “and he feels like he’s a hundred percent, ready to go.”

That will allow the Ohio State alum to pick up where he left off in what has become an encouraging second year in the NFL. Fields has taken an incremental step forward as a passer in 2022, operating within a very run-heavy scheme and with a pass-catching corps which will no longer include No. 1 wideout Darnell Mooney for the rest of the season. On the ground, though, Fields has become the team’s offensive focal point with a league-leading 6.8 yards per carry and seven rushing touchdowns.

Even as Fields is set to return, however, the Bears will be shorthanded under center moving forward. Veteran backup Trevor Siemian – who filled in for Fields last week – suffered an oblique injury during warmups. While he was able to play through it during Chicago’s loss to the Jets, the 30-year-old will now undergo season-ending surgery, per an announcement from Eberflus. That will leave Fields and Nathan Peterman available as signal-callers for the remainder of the season.

The 3-9 Bears are not in the thick of the NFC playoff race, but they will have the opportunity to evaluate Fields both in terms of his recovery, and his continued career ascension as the rebuilding squad eyes improvements in the offseason.

Bears To Start QB Trevor Siemian In Week 12

November 27th, 2022 at 12:04pm CST by Ben Levine

NOVEMBER 27, 12:04pm: Scratch that. Siemian is under center for the Bears, with Peterman operating as the backup.

NOVEMBER 27, 11:29am: Fields is indeed inactive for Sunday’s contest against the Jets, and in even worse news for the Bears, Siemian injured his oblique during pregame warmups (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network). Therefore, Peterman will be making his first start since Week 9 of the 2018 season, while Siemian will serve as his backup.

As Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com tweets, RB David Montgomery is Chicago’s emergency signal-caller.

NOVEMBER 26: It sounds like the Bears are preparing for tomorrow’s game as if they won’t have Justin Fields under center. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports (via Twitter) that Chicago has promoted quarterback Nathan Peterman from the practice squad.

Fields has been nursing a shoulder injury that resulted in him being listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game against the Jets. The QB told reporters that he’s dealing with a separated shoulder with partially torn ligaments, and while he acknowledged that he’s feeling better every day, he was still limited on Thursday and Friday before earning his official questionable designation.

“I think we’re going to let it go up to the game,” coach Matt Eberflus said (via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin). “We’ll try to do that. We think that’s where it is, and we’ll see where he is at game time and see how he feels.”

If Fields doesn’t play, veteran Trevor Siemian will likely earn his first start of the season. The Bears had been rolling with only two quarterbacks on their active roster prior to today’s transaction. Garafolo notes that the Bears will likely take their starting QB decision down to game time.

As for Peterman, the veteran QB has spent the majority of the 2022 season on Chicago’s practice squad. Following a one-plus-year stint with the Bills to start his career, Peterman spent the better part of the past four seasons with the Raiders. He only got into a pair of games during his time with the organization, completing three of his five pass attempts.

NFC North Notes: Alexander, Bears, Lions

March 29th, 2022 at 5:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Packers were unable to reach an extension agreement with Davante Adams, leading to a blockbuster trade following a franchise tag. Brian Gutekunst would prefer the Jaire Alexander process conclude before a potential Alexander tag comes into play. The fifth-year Packers GM said the team “would love” to extend Alexander this offseason, via The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman (on Twitter). Gutekunst confirmed the Packers and Alexander are in talks, which became known earlier this month, and said the discussions could continue throughout the year. Alexander finds himself in an interesting position, coming off a season a shoulder injury mostly nullified. But the one-time Pro Bowler is still eyeing a top-market extension. Alexander figures to face a decision on playing out a contract year ahead of a potential tag or taking long-term security — at likely a slightly lower price — before the season.

Here is the latest from the NFC North:

Larry Ogunjobi was onboard with the Bears for fewer than five days, with the team nixing the defensive tackle’s deal due to a failed physical. New Bears GM Ryan Poles is open to agreeing to another contract with Ogunjobi, per ESPN.com’s Courney Cronin, who notes the failed physical stemmed from the former Browns and Bengals D-lineman’s surgically repaired right foot (Twitter link). Ogunjobi suffered a foot injury during the Bengals’ wild-card win. Poles noted the Bears’ deal with Ogunjobi prevented them from adding other free agents during the legal tampering period, per Adam Jahns of The Athletic (subscription required).
Viewing Trevor Siemian as a better fit in the offense Luke Getsy is installing, Poles said (via Jahns) he hopes a Nick Foles trade emerges in the near future. But nothing is on the horizon, continuing this holding pattern for the former Super Bowl MVP. Foles is due a $4MM base salary in 2022, the final year of his contract. Foles has the Bears’ fourth-largest cap number ($10.7MM); a trade would let the Bears off the hook for Foles’ salary but still hand the team a $6MM-plus dead-money charge.
Although the Bears gutted their front seven by trading Khalil Mack, cutting Danny Trevathan and not re-signing Akiem Hicks, Poles said the team is not planning to move on from Robert Quinn. No Quinn trade scenario has come up, Poles said (via Jahns, on Twitter). Quinn’s $17.1MM cap figure is the largest on the Bears’ 2022 payroll. Despite going into his age-32 season, Quinn boosted his trade value last year by breaking Richard Dent‘s franchise single-season sack record.
Prior to Chandon Sullivan‘s Vikings agreement, the Packers made a late push to keep him, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets. Sullivan spent the past three seasons with the Packers, who have a need at slot cornerback thanks to his defection to a division rival. The Broncos also pursued Sullivan but signed K’Waun Williams days before news of Sullivan’s Vikings agreement surfaced.
The Lions will primarily use a 4-3 defense next season, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press notes. Detroit started last season by changing to a 3-4 look, but Aaron Glenn‘s unit adjusted a bit down the stretch. Prior to last season, the Lions had used a 4-3 look for many years.

Bears To Sign QB Trevor Siemian

March 24th, 2022 at 10:33pm CST by Ben Levine

Trevor Siemian is heading to Chicago. The veteran quarterback is signing with the Bears, according to representative Mike McCartney on Twitter (and passed along by Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press on Twitter). Siemian got a two-year deal worth $4MM with upside of $5MM, tweets NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

We learned earlier this week that the veteran was meeting with Chicago. With Andy Dalton a free agent and Nick Foles potentially on his way out, the Bears were seeking a veteran quarterback to serve as a backup to Justin Fields. Siemian will be joining a depth chart that also features Ryan Willis.

The 30-year-old ended up getting four starts this past season with the Saints, his most starting nods since he was a full-timer with the Broncos in 2017. New Orleans went 0-4 in Siemian’s four starts in 2021, with the quarterback completing 57.4 percent of his passes for 1,154 yards, 11 touchdowns, and only three interceptions.

Siemian was 13-11 as a starter during his time in Denver, tossing 30 touchdowns vs. 24 interceptions. He was a seventh-round pick by the Broncos in 2015.

QB Trevor Siemian Visits Bears

March 22nd, 2022 at 6:36pm CST by Ben Levine

The Bears are eyeing some reinforcement at quarterback. Veteran QB Trevor Siemian worked out for the Bears today, according to ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter).

The 30-year-old ended up getting four starts this past season with the Saints, his most starting nods since he was a full-timer with the Broncos in 2017. New Orleans went 0-4 in Siemian’s four starts, with the quarterback completing 57.4 percent of his passes for 1,154 yards, 11 touchdowns, and only three interceptions.

Siemian was 13-11 as a starter during his time in Denver, tossing 30 touchdowns vs. 24 interceptions. He was a seventh-round pick by the Broncos in 2015.

Speaking of Bears QBs, Nick Foles received his $4MM roster bonus the other day. The bonus was fully guaranteed, so it’s not a surprise that the veteran is still on the roster. However, as ESPN’s Courtney Cronin tweets, teams could have some interest in the veteran in-season considering half of his 2022 earnings have already been paid.

Saints’ Hill Suffers Lisfranc Injury

January 9th, 2022 at 5:46pm CST by Ely Allen

According to a tweet from Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com, Saints’ head coach Sean Payton informed Fox’s Laura Okmin that quarterback Taysom Hill suffered a Lisfranc injury in the first half of the Saints’ Week 18 matchup in Atlanta. The injury to his left foot, if serious, could take Hill away from play for the rest of the year and potentially some of next year.

A Lisfranc injury is what downed Jaguars’ rookie running back Travis Etienne in the preseason and kept him from playing for the entire season. When serious the injury can take up to 11-12 months to recover and has, in some instances, forced a couple of players into retirement. Hill suffered a similar injury to his right foot in 2015, when he was quarterbacking the BYU Cougars in their season opener against Nebraska. Hill finished the game, once it was confirmed it wouldn’t cause further damage, but when the game ended, then-head coach Bronco Mendenhall announced the injury would end his season.

This could be a major blow to the Saints as they are attempting to become the first NFL team in the league’s history to make it to the postseason after having started four different quarterbacks throughout the season. Due to season-ending injuries and COVID-19 infections, the Saints have seen Hill, Jameis Winston, Trevor Siemian, and Ian Book all start games under center. They can get into the playoffs today with a win in Atlanta and a 49ers’ loss in Los Angeles to the Rams.

A playoff berth would certainly be a testament to Sean Payton’s ability to keep the boat afloat no matter who is at quarterback, but going into the postseason with your first- and second-string quarterbacks unable to play may prove to be their toughest challenge of the season.

Load More Posts