Horse Tracks: Canfora believes Paxton Lynch is on the verge of a breakout season

Denver Broncos quarterback Paxton Lynch was already named a player ready to break out earlier this month by FOX Sports, but now he made another list. CBS Sports’s Jason La Canfora included Lynch in a list of players ready to break out in 2017.

Canfora states that Lynch’s mind is catching up to his body and that he believe’s Lynch will be a “handful” for opposing defenses by the end of the season.

This is a case where the hype surrounding his work this spring grabs my attention. He was the perfect candidate for what amounted to a redshirt year in 2016, and his athletic prowess and physical ability won't be as limited by his lack of experience under center, and in a pro-style offense, in 2017.

Lynch's mind is catching up to his body, and John Elway moved up to take him in the first round a year ago for a reason. His new offensive coordinator, Mike McCoy, is uniquely experienced in developing this kind of athlete.

The sophomore signal-caller will make his share of mistakes and throw some picks, but I also believe the scope of this offense will expand considerably and that Demaryius Thomas will get his swag back. Lynch will be a handful by the end of the season. I like his chances of succeeding with this defense backing him and that franchise having been limited by an inability to get yards in chunks since the rapid demise of Peyton Manning's arm.

The Broncos really hope that Canfora’s prediction for Lynch and their offense is accurate.

9NEWS Denver’s Mike Klis recently wrote that a “flip has switched” with Lynch and that he really started making his move on fellow quarterback Trevor Siemian during the final two weeks of the Broncos OTA’s and Minicamp practices.

His switch was flipped. He started to get it. He started to play as if he was doing just that – playing. Playing and not thinking about his protections and hot reads and coverages and delivering the ball on time.

So if Lynch continues to make strides this summer during Training Camp and the Preseason and is able to win the starting job, he may very well be a “breakout player” in 2017.

Pro Football Focus also shared some interesting facts and information on Paxton Lynch from his college days. The Broncos hope the production Lynch had in college will translate to the field this upcoming season.

• Denver Broncos QB Paxton Lynch may be closing the gap with Trevor Siemian in competition for the starting quarterback role with the Broncos, according to Mike Klis at 9News. With OTAs are complete across the league, the Broncos begin their 2017 training camp on July 27th. Drafted in the first round in 2016, Lynch’s performance over his final season at the University of Memphis showed potential as his adjusted completion percentage of 77.1 was fourth among 26 draft eligible quarterbacks with at least 300 snaps.
• His 126.5 passer rating on deep (20-plus yard) passes was the highest mark among draft-eligible quarterbacks with at least 56 attempts and his accuracy percentage of 71.1 while under pressure ranked second among 26 quarterbacks with a minimum of 107 dropbacks under pressure.
• Lynch posted the highest overall grades among Denver’s quarterbacks in his three 2016 preseason starts at 74.8, 72.8, and 68.6. He struggled in the three games in which he had the majority of snaps at quarterback during the regular season, however. If he’s taken a big step forward going into his sophomore season, lifting his performance under pressure to near his college numbers could be key behind Denver’s work-in-progress offensive line.

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