Denver Broncos quarterback Paxton Lynch is reportedly looking much improved, which means the team needs to start him in 2017
For much of the offseason workouts it was assumed Trevor Siemian would be the starter for the Denver Broncos. He hadn’t made any major jumps, but 2016 first-round pick Paxton Lynch hadn’t either. With no change between the two, it seemed like Siemian would continue to trot out with the ones.
Then something changed. According to Mike Klis of KUSA, Lynch started to turn a corner. He described it as a “switch” turning on and said Lynch looked the part of a football player during the final week of OTAs:
"His switch was flipped. He started to get it. He started to play as if he was doing just that – playing. Playing and not thinking about his protections and hot reads and coverages and delivering the ball on time."
If Lynch can continue to play without overthinking things, he would be a sure fire upgrade over Siemian. While the Broncos did have a winning record with the former seventh-round pick under center, they failed to miss the postseason. They also weren’t a real threat on offense as the defense had to carry them to much of their success.
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What Lynch brings is a threat. His arm is superior to Siemian’s, as is his ability to run with the ball and improvise. The problem had been that Lynch simply wasn’t ready according to those in the know with the Broncos.
Heading into 2017, that’s no longer an excuse to make. Jared Goff wasn’t ready, but the Los Angeles Rams turned to their rookie quarterback in 2016. The same could be said for Carson Wentz of the Philadelphia Eagles. Goff is still a question mark, and Wentz has room to improve. Still, both are much further ahead of Lynch and a lot of that has to do with them getting on the field and playing.
Gone are the days of grooming a guy for years. With the lack of practice time and the importance of every rep, the starters get the lion’s share of the work. With little left for the backup, a guy like Lynch will only improve if he gets to play.
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Now that he has made some progress in camp, maybe he will finally get that opportunity. Which is a great thing for the Broncos, because Lynch’s upside is far superior to Siemian’s.