John Elway is a bold, audacious man.

Not only did he ask five-time NFL MVP Peyton Manning to take a $4 million haircut, but he let his own second-round draft pick Brock Osweiler leave town without much of a fight.

After Osweiler managed to lead the Broncos to a 5-2 record as a starter, it was somewhat baffling to see Elway’s lack of commitment to keep him in Denver. Sure, he might have left because at the bottom of his heart he felt that Houston was a place he could win long-term, or maybe he was a little bit miffed about being benched for Manning in Week 17, but the main reason seems to stem from Elway’s offer coming in $3 million a year short to that of the Texans.

Truth is, money talks.

If Elway and the Broncos felt that Osweiler, or Brent as he is more commonly known in Broncos Country, was the future of the franchise, they could have found a way to keep him in Denver. Despite his perplexing thought process that Houston is a better place to win long-term or his displeasure with being benched, no one can pass up living in the beautiful Mile High City for $18-$20 million per year.

Literally no one.

With Brent exiting town on a sour note, and Elway failing to bring in any big-splash names during the offseason to fill his role, many people felt that Denver would struggle to be competitive this year. ESPN had the Broncos going 7-9 this season and Vegas only set Denver’s over/under at 9.5 wins. FOX Sports analyst Colin Cowherd said that anyone who thinks the Broncos would do big things this year was a “pom-pom waving sycophant” for ignoring their lousy quarterback scenario, and Sports Illustrated forecasted the Kansas City Chiefs to win the AFC West simply because the Broncos had a “void under center.”

Oh, how they underestimated these lousy quarterbacks.

Through the first four weeks of the NFL season, both Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch have shown that they are more than capable of replacing Osweiler under center, which has only strengthened Elway’s case to let him go. In fact, Siemian has outperformed Osweiler in almost every statistical category and Lynch has shown signs that he might be the best quarterback on Denver’s roster.

Osweiler has lead the Texans to three wins so far this season, which might be enough to win the AFC South already. However, he has been below average statistically and has performed well-below his $18 million price tag. Through four starts, he has managed to complete nearly 62 percent of his passes for 949 yards and five touchdowns, but has thrown six interceptions which is tied for the third-most in the NFL. His 74.8 passer rating has him ranked 28th overall for quarterbacks attempting at least 14 passes per game played. No, that is not an error: 28th overall.

Although Siemian’s contract is worth 2,986 percent less, he has been far more effective at the quarterback position than Osweiler. Through four weeks, he has completed just over 67 percent of his passes for 824 yards and six touchdowns, while only throwing three picks. Despite his conservative nature, he is ranked top-five overall in yards-per-attempt and ninth overall with a 99.6 passer rating.

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He has been Denver’s offensive catalyst. Although C.J. Anderson and Devontae Booker have managed to put together a threatening rushing attack, Siemian has been the most reliable player on the Broncos offense. He has attacked defenses with the calm and collected manner only found in a Bond villain. There have been times that he has been inaccurate and made poor decisions, but his overall play has not only filled the void of Osweiler’s absence, but has outperformed him altogether.

Lynch has also shown the uncanny ability to replace Osweiler’s talents. In just over a half of football, he completed 58 percent of his passes for 170 yards and a touchdown on his way to posting a 94.1 passer rating in his first NFL action. It isn’t just his ability to find receivers down field that makes him such a threat, but also his knack to avoid pressure so easily. He may be listed as a 6-7 quarterback, but he certainly doesn’t run like one. In one half of football, Lynch put together a strong case that he might be the best quarterback on Denver’s roster.

Whether Siemian or Lynch get the nod to start this weekend, Elway should be confident that his team is in much better hands for a much better price. His current quarterback tandem has outperformed Osweiler so far, and it is only likely to continue as the Broncos host an Atlanta Falcons team that has given up 317 passing yards per game.

The Broncos will host Brent and the Texans on October 24th.