UPDATE, 11:52 a.m.: The Steelers have signed Paxton Lynch to their practice squad, per NFL Network's Andrew Siciliano.
Original story follows:
The Steelers will host former first-round pick Paxton Lynch Tuesday, per Ian Rapoport.
This, of course, comes on the heels of the Steelers losing Ben Roethlisberger to season-ending elbow surgery. Mason Rudolph slides into the starting role, while Devlin Hodges was promoted from the practice squad as Rudolph's primary backup.
For now, at least.
Lynch, 25, was drafted with pick No. 26 in the 2016 NFL Draft by John Elway and the Broncos, but he never became the everyday starter the team envisioned. In fact ... He was never even good at all.
In 2016 and 2017, Lynch made five appearances and four starts for the Broncos, going 1-3 in those games while completing 62 percent of his passes for 792 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions. He also absorbed 18 sacks, racking up a ho-hum 76.7 quarterback rating in the process.
Heading into the 2018 season, Lynch was expected to back up Case Keenum for the Broncos, but he lost his camp battle against Chad Kelly and was demoted to third-string duties. They released him shortly after. The Seahawks scooped up Lynch briefly in January of 2019 but waived him during final roster cuts this season.
At 6-foot-7, 244 pounds out of Memphis, the appeal with Lynch is pretty obvious. He has size. He looks like a quarterback. And he rated highly entering the draft. But it's never shown up on the field at the pro level.
Will he get his chance to develop behind Rudolph with this Steelers squad, or will the team ultimately deem Hodges more worthy of the backup position for this season?
Stay tuned as this story continues to develop.
