Broncos Projected to Cut Former No. 2 Overall Pick

The Denver Broncos will face some tough decisions when it comes to finalizing their 53-man roster before their sseason opener on Sept. 8 against the Seattle Seahawks.

One of the toughest decisions will be when it comes to how many quarterbacks the Broncos have on the roster as they enter training camp with what looks like a three-way battle for starting quarterback between rookie Bo Nix, veteran Jarrett Stidham and former No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson.

According to ESPN’s 53-man roster projections, only two quarterbacks will make the final cut, with Wilson will be the one left on the outside looking in.

“With Nix expected to be the starter, it is difficult to square the idea the Broncos would spend ‘weeks’ — Payton’s word —  to put together a trade for Wilson and then not keep him on the 53-man roster,” wrote ESPN’s Jeff Legwold. “But keeping Wilson could cost a team fighting depth issues at other positions a player of greater need. The Saints kept four quarterbacks on the roster to open the 2021 season, when Payton was the coach in New Orleans, so he could certainly lobby to keep three this year, but that decision would come with a price.”

The four quarterbacks on the Saints’ roster in 2021 is somewhat deceiving — one of those quarterbacks was Taysom Hill, who also doubles as a running back/Y-back/tight end.

Three QBs Took Different Paths to Denver

The three quarterbacks on Denver’s roster headed into the 2024 season all took wildly different paths to get there.

Nix played his way into being a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft, where the Broncos took him No. 12 overall out of Oregon after he set an NCAA single-season record by completing 77.4 percent of his passes in 2023 and an FBS career record with 61 starts over five seasons.

While Nix started his college career at Auburn then transferred to Oregon, Stidham started his college career at Baylor then transferred to Auburn for his final two seasons, where he was the SEC Newcomer of the Year and an All-SEC pick in 2017. Stidham was a fourth-round pick by the New England Patriots in the 2019 NFL draft and has spent the last five seasons as a backup for the Patriots, Las Vegas Raiders and Broncos.

Wilson is playing for his NFL future in Denver. He was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft by the New York Jets and was the full-time starter the last three seasons with a record of 12-21.

Nix Has Earned Praise Throughout Offseason

Denver’s rookies reported to training camp on July 17, with veterans reporting on July 23. Nix has earned praise for his work with his new team throughout the offseason.

“There is a maturity level,” Broncos offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi told The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider on June 18. “I think when you draft a guy who is a little bit older, you hope that that comes with it, but he’s certainly shown that. … You can feel his 61 games played in college. With experience, a calmness comes along with it. So he certainly doesn’t feel like a rookie.”