John Elway: Paxton Lynch will be ‘ready quicker’ than people think

Paxton Lynch may be considered somewhat a project despite being a first-round pick by the Denver Broncos in last week’s draft, but that does not necessarily mean he will be sitting on the bench for a long period of time. To the contrary, Broncos GM John Elway thinks Lynch will be ready sooner than people think.

Elway appeared on Denver Sports 760 and talked about how close Lynch would be to starting.

“Is that going to happen tomorrow? Probably not, but you never know when it can happen,” Elway said. “We think he’s going to be ready quicker than a lot of people think.”

The Broncos do have another option at quarterback. They acquired Mark Sanchez prior to the draft and could open the season with him starting.

Denver was thrown into a tough spot after Brock Osweiler signed with the Houston Texans as a free agent. The Broncos then were exploring various quarterback options, such as Brian Hoyer, Colin Kaepernick and Ryan Fitzpatrick, but they opted to pick a QB in the draft to resolve the matter.

Elway’s belief that Lynch is closer than most people think is not surprising. The Broncos have a Super Bowl-ready team, and it would be a big disservice to their historically great defense if they did not have a competent offense. They need a QB out there who can win now — not someone who is a developmental project — so it’s obvious they believe strongly in his ability.

Helmet smack to Pro Football Talk