Schefter: Broncos QB Siemian has ‘presence’ Lynch seems to lack
Aug 15, 2017, 12:00 AM | Updated: 7:31 am
As the Denver Broncos take off for Santa Clara, California, for a week of joint practices and a game with the San Francisco 49ers, the competition for who’ll be under center on Sept. 11 seems to be coming to a head.
Throughout the week, second-year quarterback Paxton Lynch has and will take reps with the first-team offense, leading up to about a quarter and a half of time with the first unit in Saturday’s game.
But ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter told “The Drive” on Monday that if the quarterback battle continues to trend toward 2016 starter Trevor Siemian, Lynch may need to do something “dramatic” against the 49ers to win the job.
“And even then, I don’t know that’s going to happen,” Schefter said. “Even if Paxton Lynch went and threw for 300 yards and four touchdowns this weekend, you think they’re naming him the starter?”
Schefter touted Lynch’s abilities, calling him “very gifted and talented,” but he had questions that the young gunslinger “was ever going to develop,” especially in terms of leadership.
“I just think that certain people have certain presences to them. And it doesn’t mean that you have to be this dynamic leader. Trevor Siemian has a certain presence to him. Men are drawn to follow him,” Schefter said.
“Again, people mature. They change. That’s the idea of things. I was a lot different at 21, 22 than I am right now at age 50. But, Paxton Lynch, coming out, didn’t seem to me to be one of those guys that other men were drawn to follow.”
Schefter said that, to him, it didn’t seem that Lynch would be “one of those guys who people were drawn to” when he came out of Memphis in 2016.
But being a first-round pick, and one in which the Broncos moved up to select, Schefter said that you “hoped” someone would work with Lynch to develop that type of leadership quality needed to succeed in the NFL.
“And so far, it’s questionable as to whether or not that happens, at best,” Schefter said.
Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.
