Denver Broncos: Paxton Lynch could start sooner than first thought

Paxton Lynch was widely regarded as a developmental quarterback prospect during the draft season, but comments from John Elway signal that Lynch may be the Denver Broncos starting quarterback quite soon. 

The Denver Broncos had a rough offseason. After winning the Super Bowl last season, the time lost legendary quarterback Peyton Manning to retirement. Then, soon after Manning retired, the player that the Broncos drafted in 2012 to replace Manning left the team to take the starting job with the Houston Texans.

However, the Denver Broncos and John Elway decided that they as an organization would not panic. Instead, Elway traded a conditional seventh round draft selection to the Philadelphia Eagles for backup quarterback Mark Sanchez. While Elway publicly praised Sanchez, analysts around the league knew that the Broncos were still looking for their next starting quarterback.

Then, on the first night of the NFL draft, the Broncos made a trade with the Seattle Seahawks and moved up from the 31st pick to the 26th pick. With the 26th pick, the Broncos drafted quarterback Paxton Lynch.

During the NFL draft process, Lynch was regarded as a developmental type passer. While he does have off the charts athleticism and size (second best forty time for a quarterback, and he stands 6’7″), he needs to be refined if he wants to succeed at the highest level.

After Lynch was drafted, it was assumed that Sanchez would start the first game of the season, and a fair majority of the rest of the games. But, in an interview with Denver Sports 760, Elway stated that the Broncos “think [Lynch is] going to be ready quicker than a lot of people think.”

If you’re a Broncos fan, then you better hope Elway is right. If the Broncos want to repeat as Super Bowl champions then they will need solid quarterback play.

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