The Denver Broncos are one of the more interesting defending Super Bowl champions in recent memory. With the retirement of Peyton Manning and the free agent departure of Brock Osweiler, this contending team is hitting the reset button in many ways. As a result, general manager John Elway has spent the majority of the offseason trying to address the hole under center. Names like Colin Kaepernick and Sam Bradford have been thrown around, though neither ended up in a Broncos uniform.
Instead, it looks as if veteran Mark Sanchez will be the starter with first-rounder Paxton Lynch waiting in the wings. Sanchez has had an up-and-down career, but Elway sounds optimistic when discussing the quarterback's fit in Denver's offense.
"I feel good about Mark," Elway said. "I think he's got a chance. If a guy is talented who can move around and do different things...he's had success in the playoffs. He's been to the AFC Championship Game. He has won playoff games. Those are all things that you wonder about guys who haven't done it and you don't know how they will react when they get there. He's proven he can do that. Has Mark ever been in the perfect situation to prove what he can do? A lot of the times, quarterbacks don't get in the right systems that fit them. That's a big part of this. So I think this is the type of offense that will benefit Mark and knowing what they did in New York and what they did in Philadelphia. He moved all around. You get him with the right coach in the right system and good people around him and you have a little chance."
Lynch, the strong-armed and athletic QB from Memphis, is considered the future at the position. However, scouts agreed before the draft that his raw talent would need some refining at the next level before he's ready to assume a starting gig. That gives Sanchez a long leash with which to work with in 2016.
In 13 games with the Eagles, Sanchez completed 64 percent of his passes while throwing for 3,034 yards with 18 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.
