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Paxton Lynch Looking Forward To 'Open Competition' Under New Coach

By Mark Haas

DENVER (CBS4) - A new coach means a clean slate for Broncos quarterback Paxton Lynch, but it also means a new playbook to learn.

"I don't want to see it is a situation where I am starting completely over," Lynch told CBS4 this week. "From what I have heard the playbook will have similarities to what we had last year, so I am excited to get to work."

Lynch was at the Collegiate Bowl in Los Angeles promoting Panini America trading cards. He said he hasn't received the new playbook yet, but expects to get it before offseason workouts begin in April. Lynch also says he is looking forward to the "open competition" new head coach Vance Joseph has promised between Lynch and returning starter Trevor Siemian.

Paxton Lynch
Paxton Lynch (credit: Brian Blanco/Getty Images)

"I think it is good for all the quarterbacks to have that competition," Lynch said. "Because that's how you get the best out of each player."

But will the competition only include the two young QBs?

There's no shortage of talk and speculation in Denver about the need for the Broncos to bring in a veteran QB (Tony Romo? Philip Rivers?).

"It doesn't bother me," Lynch said. "Every situation you could turn into a benefit or a positive. When Mark (Sanchez) was here (in training camp) he was nothing but helpful to me to have a veteran in the room."

But signing a veteran would probably mean Lynch has to sit and wait another year, and that's not something he wants to do.

"I feel like I did everything I could to put myself in a position to do the things I wanted to do, but at the end of the day, I obviously didn't get to play as much as I wanted this year," Lynch said.

Paxton Lynch
Paxton Lynch (credit: CBS)

Lynch was the third quarterback taken in the 2016 draft, but both QBs drafted before him (Jared Goff, Carson Wentz) and two QBs drafted after him (Cody Kessler, Dak Prescott) played more than him as rookies.

"Everyone is in different situations, every quarterback was drafted into a different situation and every quarterback got to play in different situations," Lynch said. "So I am not worried about those guys, I am more worried about myself and my team."

And Paxton's situation is that he is on a "win now" team, and he knows if he wants to play, he doesn't have the luxury of learning as he goes.

Denver Broncos v Jacksonville Jaguars
Paxton Lynch #12 of the Denver Broncos attempts a pass as Abry Jones #95 of the Jacksonville Jaguars closes in at EverBank Field on December 4, 2016 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

"I knew coming in here that this organization is based on winning and always has been," Lynch said. "So come camp and OTAs when it becomes a competition again I will have the same mentality as last year and work hard as hard as I can and put myself in a position to start and play all year."

Mark Haas is a sports anchor/reporter for CBS4. Read his bio or follow him on Twitter @markhaastv or on Facebook.

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