Former Denver Broncos first-round pick Paxton Lynch reportedly has been cut by the Seattle Seahawks, who will have Geno Smith stay on as Russell Wilson’s backup.
Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times reported on this development Friday, noting the “Seahawks may try to keep Lynch on the practice squad.”
Lynch has struggled to make it at the NFL level ever since being selected No. 26 overall by Denver in 2016.
He appeared in five games as a member of the Broncos from 2016-17, completing just 61.7% of his passes for 792 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions. During the summer of 2018, Lynch was demoted to third string behind Case Keenum and Chad Kelly, and ultimately he was released just before the season began in favor of veteran Kevin Hogan.
Lynch signed a deal with the Seahawks this past January, but he couldn’t distinguish himself in a positive way, completing well under 50% of his passes during the preseason.
Still just 25, Lynch has time to potentially mold himself into an NFL backup quarterback. But at this point, he has proven to be a huge project. If he does land on Seattle’s practice squad, he’ll have a chance to keep working on his craft in an environment he feels comfortable with.