Paxton Lynch, Chad Kelly among biggest winners in Broncos 2018 draft

Breathe easy, Paxton Lynch and Chad Kelly. You’re still viable members of the Denver Broncos.

With the dust settled on another NFL Draft, “Schlereth and Evans” on Monday said among the biggest “winners” of the Broncos latest crop of rookies aren’t rookies at all but rather the two quarterbacks vying for a backup spot behind starter Case Keenum.

In his post-draft press conference on Saturday, general manager John Elway said Denver had looked at a couple of quarterbacks on the board but the club “had other players” they wanted, thus giving Lynch and Kelly a reprieve for now.

“With Paxton, we still think he is young. We are not kicking him to the curb. He cans still develop,” Elway said. “When we drafted him two years ago, as I said, we knew it was going to take some time. Paxton is going to compete with Chad for that backup spot.”

Elway said the Broncos will take just the three quarterbacks in to OTAs and “go from there.”

“Well, Paxton’s still a winner in the fact that he still has a lifeline in John Elway, who is still willing to give him a chance — a chance that most of us have already agreed upon that he doesn’t deserve,” said “Schlereth and Evans” co-host Mike Evans. “But he’s going to get another one.”

Evans’ co-host Mark Schlereth said Lynch “may be the biggest winner,” but the “sad part” is he believes the quarterback may not understand the “gravity of the situation that he’s put himself in.”

“I know that John will walk away. I know him well enough that he’ll walk away,” Schlereth said of Elway and Lynch. “I think more than pride it’s gotten to the point of hope. You just hope.”

The competition, however, is an added bonus according to “Pritchard and Cecil” co-host Mike Pritchard, who said Monday to let Lynch and Kelly “duke it out.”

“I love it, man. I love the fact that the competition between those two guys has started. So, when you get to OTAs, now you have meaningful reps between Chad Kelly and Paxton Lynch,” Pritchard said. “It’s not just to get through OTAs. It’s not just for Case Keenum to get his timing down with the receiving corps.

“Now, there’s a competition brewing.”

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