Paxton Lynch will see his first NFL start on Sunday.
The Broncos' rookie first-round quarterback will start ahead of an injured Trevor Siemian against the Falcons, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Saturday, per a source. The expectation is that Austin Davis will be Lynch's backup as Siemian is not expected to be active, Rapoport adds.
Dealing with an AC joint sprain in his left shoulder, Siemian was limited in practice Friday and was initially listed as questionable to play against the visiting Falcons. Broncos coach Gary Kubiak said on Friday that Siemian would take more snaps on Saturday to test out the injured shoulder, and would then evaluate the starting quarterback's availability for Sunday.
"We have 48 hours here so we'll see how he comes out of it tomorrow, how he's feeling," Kubiak added. "But he took a lot more today, so we'll see where he's at."
Clearly, Kubiak has seen something in Siemian's recovery that worries him for this week.
Lynch was the third quarterback drafted in the first round of the 2016 draft and will be the fifth QB in his class to earn a start in his rookie season (Carson Wentz, Dak Prescott, Jacoby Brissett, Cody Kessler). After Siemian was knocked out of last week's win over the Buccaneers, Lynch performed admirably, leading three scoring drives in just over a half of work.
