Tom Pelissero

USA TODAY Sports

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Gary Kubiak won’t even name a starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos’ second preseason game, much less the Sept. 8 Super Bowl rematch against the Carolina Panthers. And that’s just how the Hall of Famer who runs the team's football operation wants it.

Mark Sanchez and Trevor Siemian have continued to share reps with the defending champs’ starting offense this week (while rookie first-round pick Paxton Lynch gets up to speed with the third string), entering two days of joint practices and Saturday’s exhibition against the San Francisco 49ers.

“There’s still a lot of football,” John Elway, the Broncos’ executive vice president of football operations and general manager, told USA TODAY Sports. “Mark’s new in the system. Trevor doesn’t have experience and neither does Paxton.

“I think the key thing is to be patient with it, stay objective, and that’s why I’m not trying to sit there and keep putting them in an order but wait through the third preseason game and see if somebody jumps out at you.”

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More important than who starts for the Broncos in Week 1 is who starts in Week 17 and potentially beyond — a span in which they went from Peyton Manning to Brock Osweiler and back during last season’s title run. Lynch’s rare skill set and the price Elway paid to trade up and draft him 26th overall are two reasons to believe more in-season changes could lie ahead.

For now, it’s Sanchez, the 29-year-old veteran acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles for a conditional seventh-round draft pick in a March trade, vs. Siemian, 24, a seventh-round pick out of Northwestern last year whose regular-season experience consists of one kneel-down.

And it’s still too close to call.

Both were sharp in last week’s preseason opener against the Chicago Bears and again in practice Monday after a poor offensive showing steamed Kubiak over the weekend. For that matter, Lynch’s game debut was encouraging, too.

“I think it’s been very close,” said Kubiak, entering his second season as coach. “We’ve worked very evenly, and I think each day they come out here and try to show me somehow they should be the guy. But ultimately, we’ve got to pick one.”

It’s Kubiak’s decision, and Elway says he has faith in his old backup to make the right one. But what will click in Elway’s QB-savvy brain to tell him who’s the right choice?

“I think a lot of that goes to a guy that’s natural, that has ‘it,’ " Elway said. “Nobody’s ever been able to explain exactly what ‘it’ is, but it’s somebody that knows how to play the position and can go out and react and is natural in that position. And you can see it when they go out there and react to what they see and put the ball in certain spots and make plays in situations that no one else can make.

"That’s what separates the great ones from the good ones.”

Of course, this is a defense-driven team that has shown it doesn’t need great or even good QB play to win a championship. A banged-up Manning and inexperienced Osweiler combined last season for a 76.3 passer rating, second-lowest in the NFL and among the worst ever for a Super Bowl champ.

“We wouldn’t be here if we couldn’t make all the throws and get through our progressions,” Siemian said. “But who can take care of the ball and move this offense the best I think is the thing they’re looking for.”

Wednesday brings another reminder of how unusual this offseason has been in the search to replace Manning. Colin Kaepernick, who has a sore arm and may not practice with the Niners, met with Elway about coming to Denver in the aftermath of Manning’s retirement and Osweiler’s surprise departure for the Houston Texans during free agency, before the deal fell apart over a proposed pay cut.

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That came after the Broncos acquired Sanchez and with Siemian on the roster, making clear Elway was open to upgrading the competition he has now.

“The good thing is we’ve got a good enough team around them,” Elway said. “We’ll be able to run the ball, and we won’t throw them out there and say, ‘You guys have to go win this.’ Do your job, make good decisions and keep the team in position to win. And that’s really all we’re asking of that position right now.”

The third preseason game is Aug. 27 against the Los Angeles Rams, just 12 days before the nationally televised opener against reigning NFL MVP Cam Newton and the Panthers.

Denver receiver Demaryius Thomas emphasized the need to make a decision a couple weeks out, maximizing the time needed to build rhythm and timing — even if Lynch eventually shows he’s ready or the Broncos otherwise make a change along the way, forcing everyone to rebuild it on the fly as they did last season.

“Hopefully, in the next couple weeks here, one of those guys pokes their head out and takes the lead and makes the decision easy,” Elway said. “But I think Gary’s got a good idea of what he wants and what he likes.

"He’s dealt with that before, and so I trust the decision he’ll make.”

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