Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is by far one of the most professional-looking quarterbacks in the business, and he wants to make sure a rookie quarterback is sharp, too.
Trevor Siemian, who the Broncos chose in the seventh round of the 2015 draft, is currently sporting a hairstyle that doesn’t please Manning.
In an interview with Dave Logan of KOA (h/t Denver’s official site), Manning said he spares rookie quarterbacks from getting their heads shave like other Broncos rookies, but that doesn’t mean Siemian is safe from a trim. Manning said:
“But, for three years in a row now, I have spared the quarterbacks. I spared Brock [Osweiler], I spared [Zac] Dysert and I spared Trevor. But yet I told Trevor, ‘Just because I’ve spared you from getting your head shaved doesn’t mean… you still need a haircut.’ He’s got a bad haircut. It’s borderline mullet at this point.
“So I said, ‘Look, don’t take advantage of my generosity…get a haircut. Represent the quarterbacks. Look sharp.’ He hasn’t done it yet.”
Other than looking like a 90’s throwback version of Billy Ray Cyrus, Manning had nothing but nice things to say about Siemian’s work thus far:
“Trevor has had a really good camp. He’s a bright guy; he’s improved. He wasn’t healthy when he got here because he was coming off a knee injury. So he wasn’t able to do a lot in his first month, but as he got healthy and was bale to get out on the field and get the reps it really paid dividends for him.”
In Denver’s final preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals, Siemian is expected to play the second half of the game. Through the two preseason appearances, Siemian has looked pretty sharp, completing 75 percent of his 16 passes for 179 yards and one touchdown.
The action Siemian receives on Thursday will be the most playing time the rookie he’ll see once the regular season starts. It’s his final chance to stand out remain with the Broncos, perhaps on the practice squad.
And, Siemian might consider getting that ever-so-needed haircut before Manning personally comes after him with a razor.