There’s no doubt about who will be starting under center for the Denver Broncos this coming season, but who will win the backup job is very much an unanswered question at this time.
James Palmer of NFL Network noted Thursday after the Broncos concluded mandatory minicamp that “Paxton Lynch and Chad Kelly will continue to compete for the Broncos backup job during training camp,” adding “Nothing decided yet.”
This is pretty remarkable considering Lynch was a player the Broncos traded up to draft in the first round back in 2016, while Kelly was Mr. Irrelevant during the 2017 NFL Draft.
Lynch has not lived up to expectations to this point in his career. He couldn’t beat out Trevor Siemian, and when Siemian was injured the former first-round pick struggled mightily. In five career games, four of which were starts (1-3 record in those starts), Lynch has completed 61.7 percent of his passes for 792 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions.
Kelly entered the NFL with some red flags due to to off-field incidents during his collegiate career and because he suffered a season-ending knee injury while playing for Ole Miss in 2016. That said, the nephew of Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly undeniably has arm talent.
He’s also been touted by another Hall of Famer as better than Lynch.
If Kelly beats out Lynch for the backup job in Denver this summer, then it’s going to be safe to wonder if Lynch will ever make it as a pro quarterback. Needless to say, his NFL career is on the line right now.