For the Denver Broncos, the future is now… sort of.

Head coach Vance Joseph made it clear that winning is still the goal, but the remaining six games also serve as the perfect opportunity to see what they have in their next starting quarterback.

It was officially announced on Wednesday that Paxton Lynch, the Broncos’ first-round selection in the 2016 NFL draft, will start Sunday when the Broncos head to Oakland to take on the Raiders.

Most of Denver would probably agree that it’s time to let Lynch give it a go.

“I told you guys when he first came back, he was not ready,” Joseph said on Wednesday. “It took him about two, three weeks to get back in the [rhythm] of just throwing the football the right way. It took him a while, but he’s physically ready now. He’s up.”

Three starting quarterbacks in a single season isn’t ideal for any team, but this change is certainly the most important of the three. Having invested a first-round selection into Lynch, all the Broncos can hope is that he is finally ready.

Just like Joseph, his teammates believe he’s up for the challenge.

“I’m just confident in him,” cornerback Chris Harris Jr. said on Wednesday. “He’s ready for his opportunity. I think there will be a couple of changes that we’ll probably do with him. He’ll try to run more, and things that fit him in college I think will help him out.”

Running more may not turn out to be a bad idea. In fact, Joseph made it clear on Wednesday that he didn’t want Lynch to try to be a pocket passer.

For about a season and a half now, the story has been the same: Lynch has all the tools to be a successful quarterback in the NFL. He’s big, he’s mobile, he has a big arm. But somehow, he hasn’t been able to put it together. Now’s his chance, and interim offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave knows how important Sunday’s opportunity is — and the five games that follow if the Broncos continue to play him — for Lynch’s development as a quarterback.

“This will be another step in his development of getting him on the field so he can get more time on task,” Musgrave said on Wednesday. “You’re only going to learn from experience. You don’t learn from the sideline. This will be important for him.”

After a roller-coaster season that has seen more downs than ups, Sunday serves as what most Broncos fans hope to be a glimpse into the future.

Lynch’s time is now. His teammates believe in him. His coaches believe in him. Now, he just has to capitalize. It sounds easy, at least…