Is Paxton Lynch on the verge of a breakout season for the Broncos?

According to FoxSports.com, they believe that Denver Broncos quarterback Paxton Lynch is on the verge of having a breakout season in 2017.

They project that Paxton Lynch will win the starting quarterback job over the underwhelming Trevor Siemian and that if he puts everything together like it appears he has, he would approach a 25 touchdown and 12 interception season.

Lynch and Trevor Siemian will be one of the most competitive position battles of training camp this offseason with both players getting a fair shot to win the job. Siemian was the starter last season, but his play was underwhelming and didn’t provide enough of a spark to retain the gig for 2017.

Now, Lynch has a year of NFL experience under his belt and an entire offseason to showcase his ability. That gives him a slight edge over Siemian, as does the fact that he was a first-round pick in 2016. Head coach Vance Joseph should give Lynch a small advantage because of his raw ability and athleticism.

Lynch has good potential as an NFL quarterback, he just needs to improve in his decision making and accuracy. His arm strength will never be an issue, but sailing passes over receivers’ heads is not something he can do. If Lynch can hone his skills and put them all together this season, he could be on track for a 25-touchdown, 12-interception season.

I tend to agree with the author’s thoughts here. If Siemian had done better in 2016, he would have a better hold of the starting job right now. However, he is continuing to split reps with the improving Paxton Lynch.

The other point that I agree with is Lynch’s draft status. I know some don’t think it’s that big of a deal, but it really is, especially with quarterbacks. General Manager John Elway invested a first and third round pick on Lynch, so he probably(he does) wants his pick on the field sooner rather than later. Lynch still has to do his part and so far he has by all accounts.

It would be great to see Lynch have this sort of breakout season. It would help ease the “bust” whispers that were going around after his rookie season and bring some hope to the Broncos fan base eager to find a replacement for Peyton Manning.

The Denver Posts Mark Kiszla has similar thoughts about Lynch. He didn’t go as far to say that he will have a breakout season, but he believes that Lynch will be the guy under center week one for the Broncos.

Nothing is official. But the hints are everywhere. While Broncos coach Vance Joseph insists the race to be the team’s No. 1 quarterback has not even begun, it’s obvious how this all ends:

Paxton Lynch starts for Denver on opening night against the Los Angeles Chargers, unless he messes it up. If the Broncos want a quarterback unafraid to throw deep and revive the swagger in Denver’s offense, Lynch is the man.

Let's face it, this is likely Paxton Lynch’s job to lose. If he continues to put together good practices and earn praise from his coaches like he has, he probably wins the job. If he struggles during Training Camp and the Preseason, then they can turn to Siemian as their backup option.

As Denver Broncos Head Coach Vance Joseph has continued to say, this battle really begins when they hit the field in late July and early August for Training Camp. Until then, all we can do is wait and see, but it appears this is Paxton Lynch’s job to lose this summer.