ENGLEWOOD, Colo. —The Broncos have not yet decided who will start at quarterback for Sunday's game against the Washington Redskins, Head Coach Vance Joseph announced Monday.
Both Paxton Lynch and Brock Osweiler will be options for the Broncos after Trevor Siemian was placed on injured reserve Friday.
"It's Monday for us, so we got back in the office this morning, just waiting to have the meetings with the offensive staff to kind of figure out what's best for us," Joseph said.
The Broncos' head coach said he was not yet sure when the decision would be finalized.
Osweiler finished 12-of-17 for 194 yards and two touchdowns in a relief effort Thursday in Indianapolis.
"We're going to obviously discuss it with the staff and see where we're at with both guys," Joseph said. "Obviously Paxton hasn't practiced in three weeks. We've got to see where he's at physically. He came in Saturday and Sunday, threw the ball [and did] rehab. So we'll see. We'll see. There's a lot of things that go into that decision, who plays this week for us."
Joseph reaffirmed several times that Lynch's health would be one of the determining factors, and that he had been cleared to practice again. Lynch has not played since suffering a high-ankle sprain in Week 12.
"We want to see Paxton play some," Joseph said. "That's the truth. We have to see where he is as a player moving into the offseason. That's important for our football team moving forward. But we have to discuss it again. We want to make sure he is totally healthy so he can play and play well if he does play."
Joseph acknowledged Friday the importance of finding a long-term answer at quarterback.
"You see all the playoff teams and those are established by real quarterbacks, guys who win the Super Bowl," Joseph said. "The last 15, check those names. It's no accident as to why those guys have won Super Bowls. It starts there. You have to have at least clean quarterback play. Guys don't want to hear about being the game manager, but that's their job. It's their job to allow their teammates to help them win games. In my opinion, when you have a [Packers QB] Aaron Rodgers or a top-five quarterback, they can make your team better because they're great players. If you don't have a guy like that, you have to have a guy who can manage the football game and allow your guys around him to help win games. I think it's starts there with quarterback play."
