Big decisions looming on Broncos QBs

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Chad Kelly has a tenuous hold on the No. 2 quarterback job in Denver, and not because Paxton Lynch is making a push to regain the gig he lost to him this summer.

Kelly gets one more shot at showing he’s a worthy backup to starter Case Keenum when he starts the Broncos’ final preseason game Thursday night at Arizona.

Although he’s won over Broncos fans with a stellar summer, Kelly still has to convince general manager John Elway that it’s not necessary to scour the waiver wire for a more seasoned backup QB.

With Saturday’s cut-down deadline looming, Elway has some big decisions to make at quarterback:

Is Kelly, who spent his rookie season on IR last year, ready to step in if needed after getting precious few snaps with the starters?

Is it finally time to give up on the underachieving Lynch? Elway moved up to grab Lynch with the 26th overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL draft. But the former Memphis QB was leapfrogged by Kelly this summer after failing to beat out another seventh-rounder, Trevor Siemian, for the starting job each of the last two summers.

Lynch is 1-3 in his NFL career and has regressed this summer. Last week at Washington, he was 3-of-7 for 39 yards against the Redskins’ third-stringers.

The Broncos solved one quarterback conundrum by signing Keenum in free agency, but they’re facing another as the preseason winds down.