Sanchez to Start For Broncos Against Bears Thursday

BY ESPN

It's not a mandate, and it's not a decision for the regular season, but Mark Sanchez will start at quarterback for the Denver Broncos in the team's preseason opener Thursday night against the Chicago Bears.

Immediately after Tuesday's practice, Broncos coach Gary Kubiak wouldn't say who would start at quarterback in the game, but the Broncos later announced it will be Sanchez. Sanchez and Trevor Siemian will each play a quarter against the Bears, with rookie Paxton Lynch set to play the second half of the game.

"One of them will go first, one of them will go second, Paxton will play the majority of the second half," Kubiak said. "... Mark and Trevor will play a quarter apiece, Paxton will play the second half. That's the plan."

In a training camp practice on Tuesday that was open to the public, it was Sanchez who took virtually all of the work with the starting offense.

In the Broncos' first depth chart of training camp, released Monday, Sanchez and Siemian were listed as co-No. 1s.

The two quarterbacks have split virtually all of the plays with the starting offense in training camp, with Lynch getting a smattering of plays. But Tuesday, Sanchez clearly took more work with the starters in the team drills as the Broncos went through a variety of situations.

Both Sanchez and Siemian were sharp in the workout and threw the ball well.

Eagles' Johnson Suspended

Eagles offensive lineman Lane Johnson, who signed a five-year, $52.25 million contract extension in February, is reportedly facing a 10-game suspension for violating the NFL performance-enhancing drug policy.

Fox Sports reported that Johnson said he took an approved amino acid but tested positive for a banned peptide. He is appealing the suspension, which was first reported via Twitter by Wildfire Radio and confirmed by NFL Network.

"We are aware that a member of the media has started a rumor that Lane Johnson will be suspended for a PED violation," said Johnson's agent, Ken Sarnoff, in a statement released to ESPN on Tuesday. "Lane has not been suspended and any report to the contrary is false. None the less we will not comment on my client's protected health information."