Schefter: Sanchez earns Broncos QB job if he eliminates mistakes

The Denver Broncos quarterback battle is alive and well, with Mark Sanchez (the veteran) and Trevor Siemian (the second-year pro) duking it out on the daily in camp. But Sanchez will be the man leading the team onto the field in its preseason opener Thursday against the Bears, and he’ll stay there if he eliminates those mistakes, ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter said.

Joining “Schlereth and Evans” Thursday morning on 104.3 The Fan, Schefter said he thinks Sanchez heads into preseason play as the favorite, but lingering mistakes may be his folly.

“He still does some things at times that prevents him from putting a lock hold on that job for right now,” Schefter said. “And if he can eliminate those mistakes, I think he’s the favorite.”

Schefter said Siemian could “step up at some point and seize the job,” though he’s unsure if he’s done that up to this point — or if the team thinks he’s ready to do so.

However, it’s all moot, Schefter said, because both Siemian and Sanchez are a bridge to the future — Paxton Lynch.

“You know, at some point, the Broncos are going to turn to Paxton Lynch. So does it matter all that much that one of those other guys wins that job? I know it does, but it’s until the inevitable happens, which is when Paxton Lynch takes over as the quarterback at some point here,” Schefter said.

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Schefter said it’s a tall order to ask Lynch, the team’s first-round draft pick this year, because rookies have a lot to learn in such a short period.

However, the rookie has impressed early in training camp, Schefter said.

“By all accounts, the people who have watched him this summer have been very impressed with him. Very impressed,” Schefter said. “I think more impressed than they expected to be.”

Follow 104.3 The Fan digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @johnnyhart7.