Schlereth: Description of Broncos QB Lynch doesn’t stir confidence

Training camp aside, Denver Broncos followers didn’t see very much of then-rookie quarterback Paxton Lynch in 2016.

Relegated to backup status early on, Lynch only played in three games — two starts — in relief of injured starter Trevor Siemian.

In that time, Lynch only attempted 83 passes, one of which was picked off and 49 that were completed for 497 yards and two touchdowns.

So, to say there wasn’t a ton of information for recently hired Broncos head coach Vance Joseph to go off of in describing Lynch would be accurate.

“Is he ready? I’m not sure. But, obviously, he’s got great skills. He’s a tall man with a big arm. Is he ready? That’s a tough question,” Joseph said, adding that he and Siemian would be in open competition for the starting role again this offseason.

But such a description of Lynch didn’t really fly with 104.3 The Fan’s “Schlereth and Evans” on Wednesday.

“That’s boilerplate stuff, come on. We’ve been hearing that description of Paxton Lynch since before he was drafted,” said co-host Mike Evans. “He’s tall. He’s got a big arm. Great skills. Come on, you’ve got to give me something different.”

Evans’ co-host and ESPN NFL analyst Mark Schlereth said Joseph’s scant scouting report on Lynch didn’t stir a lot of faith in the young quarterback’s progress.

“When your description is that generic … that doesn’t necessarily give me a lot of confidence in Paxton Lynch’s progression, where he is,” Schlereth said. “I know Vance Joseph hasn’t seen him. They’re not in OTAs. He doesn’t know kind of what he’s been working on.

“But at first blush, and you’ve watched all the tape of the season, and you come up with he’s tall, he’s got a big arm? That reminds me of, ‘He’s got a great work ethic. Nobody works harder SoThe guy’s a winner. He’s a real leader.’”

Schlereth pointed to the portrayal of Siemian’s skills as evidence of the club’s thoughts on its two young quarterbacks.

Said Joseph: “I think the problem with Paxton and Trevor is they’re so different. Paxton’s a tall, big arm guy, athletic guy. Trevor is a fundamentally sound, great footwork, great with the ball. He can really spin the ball as far as throwing the football. So, they’re different.”

“Fundamentally sound. Great footwork. Can really spin the ball. I just see the separation between front office and what coaches think of players,” Schlereth said. “Doesn’t it just feel like, ‘Hey, we really want Paxton to play. We really want him. We drafted him in the first round. We really want him to play.’

“You get all these descriptive adjectives and you talk football talk, and you’re spitting it out there, and for Paxton, your first impression is he’s tall.”

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.