The issue is no longer about No. 1, but who is No. 2 and will there be a No. 3?
As the Broncos arrive at their final public training camp practice on Friday, made spicy by reps against the Green Bay Packers, the quarterback questions remain.
There is little debate about whether Bo Nix will start. He has made steady progress throughout camp, then delivered in his debut against the Indianapolis Colts, completing 15 of 21 passes for 125 yards. He also went 4 for 5 for 50 yards on third down, 5 for 5 in the second half, took zero sacks and guided the Broncos to 20 points on five drives.
This is catnip for coach Sean Payton.
So why not give him the job? Simply put, he doesn’t have to. Not yet anyway. In this battle of the bands, the music is still playing. But barring something unforeseen, Nix should be named the Broncos’ 14th starter since Peyton Manning retired sometime next week. That’s my prediction and I am sticking to it.
But what does that mean for the rest of the room? Jarrett Stidham has been keeping the seat warm for Nix since the former Oregon star was drafted 12th overall. Stidham entered camp atop the depth chart, earned for his work last season and in the offseason. He started against the Colts, producing a vintage “it ain’t pretty, it’s Stiddy” outing with four completions and an interception that wasn’t his fault.
Stidham, 28, even worked with the 1s on Thursday. The common refrain during the first two weeks of camp was that Stidham would ultimately serve as the backup, providing a veteran presence and insurance for injury or ineffectiveness.
However, the ground has shifted over the last week. Zach Wilson, a distressed asset, began producing dividends. He became more consistent in practice and turned heads against the Colts. He finished 10 of 13 for 117 yards and produced 10 points on five drives. The scoreboard matters to Payton. It is how he measures quarterbacks.
Wilson has been working with the third team, but Payton’s praise of him Wednesday perked up my ears, representing a change in tune. He praised the 25-year-old for checking the boxes, getting the team in and out of the huddle, avoiding sacks and encountering zero clock issues.
“And then his decision-making (was good). And he was aggressive. I like that he’s going to take shots, and he’s got a live arm. I thought he had a really good game. I am encouraged,” Payton said. “I like what I am seeing. That’s one of the pluses about bringing someone like him in here.”
Payton is a lot of things in his news conferences — prickly, informative, long-winded, detail-oriented — but he is always intentional. He never says anything by accident. So when he talked about Wilson in high regard, it cannot be dismissed out of hand. He definitely could have inflated Wilson with helium to increase his trade value. But that’s not the sense I got.
The Broncos acquired Wilson before the draft. He was a fun flier on a reclamation project in case another team traded up for Nix. But what if what we are seeing with Wilson is a hint of his potential with competent coaching?
Wilson did himself no favors with the Jets, posting more picks (25) than touchdowns (23) in 34 games and 33 starts. But the passing of quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp in July 2021 and working with two offensive coordinators — Mike LaFleur and Nathaniel Hackett — over the past three seasons did not help his development. Under Hackett, Wilson regressed. This should surprise no one. The Broncos made passing a kidney stone look easier than passing the football in his 15 games as head coach in 2022.
Wilson led the league in pre-snap penalties last season. But as that cleans up and the turnovers go down — something we saw against the Colts — his value takes on a different look.
Does that mean Stidham is this year’s Mark Sanchez? Sanchez lost his bid for the starting job vs Trevor Siemian in 2016. And it turned out that he was either the starter or not on the roster. Stidham carries a $7 million salary with a dead cap hit of $2 million, creating $5 million in savings if the Broncos cut him.
After ironing out the particulars of the trade for weeks, the Broncos are on the hook for $2.72 million for Wilson. That’s also the cap hit they incur if they release him, though it could shrink to zero dollars if they trade the former BYU star.
No longer does the most likely scenario — start Nix, keep Stidham, cut Wilson — seem likely. Payton talked at length about the significance of the quarterback position this week, of getting it right. A team source insisted the money owed Stidham and Wilson is not an overriding factor in the decision. The Broncos, I continue to be told, recognize the importance of depth over marginal financial relief.
The final two preseason games matter in the assembly of the quarterback depth chart. I can see a world where the Broncos keep all three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. It is a luxury, especially since only two are active on gameday and the new kickoff rules scream out for needing an extra linebacker. But it is becoming increasingly unlikely Wilson would clear waivers. And Wilson’s improvement merits attention, making him look like a keeper.
A room of Nix and Wilson would be young, teetering on dangerously exposed if the former Jet reverts to bad habits. Teaming Nix with Stidham would keep with a long tradition, pairing a rookie with the popular locker room veteran.
This much is certain. A trio of quarterbacks protects the Broncos in every way, giving Payton options.
Which is to say, a very good case can be made for Nix as the No. 1 and carrying all three.
