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Denver Broncos: Five young players that should get a closer look

By Sayre Bedinger

JACKSONVILLE, FL - DECEMBER 04: Paxton Lynch
JACKSONVILLE, FL - DECEMBER 04: Paxton Lynch /
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The Denver Broncos are going into the final six games of the season with little hope of the playoffs. Here are five young players that could get a look…

DENVER, CO – OCTOBER 9: Denver Broncos quarterback Paxton Lynch #12 practices throwing before the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on October 9, 2016 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO – OCTOBER 9: Denver Broncos quarterback Paxton Lynch #12 practices throwing before the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on October 9, 2016 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /

The Denver Broncos are making some significant changes as the season is now painfully only six games away from completion. But now with virtually nothing (in terms of playoffs) at stake, the season has now turned into a great, risk-free opportunity to see what we have in some of the young players on this team.

Who will get an opportunity to shine?

We’re going to look at five players who we are especially excited to see play at some point this season, but it all starts with Paxton Lynch.

The Broncos have to rediscover this version of Lynch:

Largely, that’s what Bill Musgrave’s six-game audition will be spent doing. Help rediscover the Lynch we saw in the 2016 preseason and in the Broncos’ regular season game last year against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Lynch, at that point, was operating with a significant amount of confidence, which completely disappeared as the Broncos took on the Atlanta Falcons the following week.

Now, to be fair, Lynch’s two starts in 2016 against the Falcons and Jaguars happened to be against two of the best and fastest young defenses in the NFL, but his inability to hold down the starting position this offseason was concerning.

Lynch’s preseason performance was evidence enough that perhaps he just wasn’t ready for the NFL. He went back to the drawing board after a significant shoulder injury, and hasn’t had a chance to show anything until this week’s game against the Raiders.

What made Lynch a special prospect in my eyes was his combination of athleticism and big arm. He certainly needed more time to develop off the field, and though the road to this upcoming game against Oakland has been unconventional, there’s still hope yet. His talent hasn’t disappeared overnight. It’s still in there somewhere.

It’s time to extract it.

Here are five other players we’d like to see more of down the stretch this season…

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