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Broncos seem pretty confident Paxton Lynch can start as a rookie

Not long after the Denver Broncos drafted Paxton Lynch came the inevitable follow-up question: When does he start?

We won't know for a while. Nobody knows how Lynch will adapt to the NFL game, or even if he'll put in the work over the summer to be as prepared as he needs to be to start Week 1. Even if the Broncos have an idea now, months of practices and four preseason games could change their minds for better or worse.

Make no mistake, however, the Broncos' verbal clues are giving off every impression that they're planning on Lynch to start at some point as a rookie.

“Is that going to happen tomorrow? Probably not, but you never know when it can happen,” Broncos general manager John Elway said on Denver Sports 760, via Pro Football Talk. “We think he’s going to be ready quicker than a lot of people think.”

Coaches and high-profile executives like Elway don't say things like that for no reason. Maybe Elway is trying to push Lynch by keeping that carrot in front of him, or maybe he's preparing everyone for a rookie to take over at quarterback. We'll all be waiting to see who will start that Thursday night regular-season opener, when the Super Bowl champions start the defense of their title.

(AP)
(AP)

Elway said after picking Lynch that he spent most of the first day of the draft trying to move up to draft the big Memphis quarterback, specifically trying to get the Atlanta Falcons' pick at No. 17. The Broncos finally moved up to No. 26 and took Lynch. If you believe Elway, they didn't just settle for Lynch because he slipped to a point where it made sense to trade up and get him; the Broncos say they coveted Lynch all along.

Elway's comments about Lynch being ready "quicker than a lot of people think" fit with what coach Gary Kubiak said when the Broncos drafted Lynch in the first round, when asked if he can start as a rookie.

"First off, we know that he has the ability to do that, and that’s why we stepped up and went and got him," Kubiak said, according to the team's transcript. "We’ll put him in the right situation and, like you said, he’s coming to a good football team and needs to stay focused on his job and his growth and what he needs to do."

Lynch or Mark Sanchez are in a good position. They'll be starting for a team that won a Super Bowl last season mostly because of defense and a running game. Denver was 31st of 32 NFL teams last season in passer rating. If it's Lynch, Kubiak's system and its simplicity can be beneficial for a rookie (NFL Films' Greg Cosell talked about that a bit here).

Lynch has a lot to learn, as Kubiak pointed out after the Broncos' rookie minicamp opener on Friday. But Kubiak also said, when asked if Lynch needs to sit and a rookie and learn, that "he’s going to make up ground quickly." The team's message is pretty consistent.

The 1999 Broncos and the 2001 Baltimore Ravens are the only teams who didn't bring back their starting quarterback after a Super Bowl win. No team in NFL history has ever gone into a season preparing to defend a Super Bowl title with a rookie at quarterback.

If you listen to what the Broncos are saying, odds are they'll be turning to Lynch at some point this season. The only question seems to be if that will happen by Week 1.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!