It wasn’t that long ago when Paxton Lynch was a first-round quarterback prospect, with all the attention that entails.
Now that he requires people to get hurt to find a backup job, his perspective has changed.
Lynch said he didn’t consider himself an overly proud person to begin with, but his bumpy path so far has provided humility.
“I never really had a big ego or felt like I needed to be humbled,” Lynch said, via Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, “But I have gotten a humbling.”
Drafted 26th overall in 2016 by the Broncos, he was out of football last season, and was released after a stint in Seahawks camp this summer. The Steelers signed him to the practice squad this week to provide another arm, since Ben Roethlisberger’s season-ending elbow injury left them with Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges on the active roster. That means there’s a third-rounder and undrafted rookie ahead of him in their quarterback hierarchy, but Lynch just wants to work.
“It’s kind of a gut check,” Lynch said. “I am just kind of taking it in the chin, and that’s all I can do is move forward and keep my eyes up and keep my eyes ahead of what’s going to be. . . .
“Last year I was kind of working out and waiting for the call and never got one, so it feels good to get on a team and kind of get back in the rhythm of a season and go through week to week and get that preparation in. I am really excited for that, really excited.”
First-rounders will always get more opportunities, but Lynch realizes that future chances may be rare, so he appreciates the job he has at the moment.
