On the surface, the Denver Broncos had a three-way quarterback battle to open training camp.
While that competition was quickly pared down to two quarterbacks with Jarrett Stidham and rookie Bo Nix, to the public it Nix seemed like the obvious choice from the Broncos’ first preseason game. So, when the No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft was eventually named the starter, it wasn’t a huge surprise.
Stidham, who is entering his sixth season, went 1-1 as the starter in Denver’s final 2 games in 2023 and made it clear to NFL.com’s Kevin Patra he wasn’t happy having to play behind Nix.
“First of all, obviously I was very disappointed,” Stidham told Patra after the Broncos’ preseason finale against the Arizona Cardinals on Aug. 25. “I know I’m a starting quarterback in this league. I have no doubts about that, and it just didn’t shake out my way. I know what kind of player I am, what kind of person I am. Like I said earlier, I’ll be ready to go if I need to be. Like I said, I have no doubts that I’m a starting-caliber quarterback in this league.”
While Stidham wants to be the starter, he might not have the backup role locked down as tightly as he thinks.
After The Broncos’ 38-12 win over the Cardinals, head coach Sean Payton indicated he was going to keep three quarterbacks on the roster after Zach Wilson threw for 225 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions while also rushing for a touchdown.
Zach Wilson’s preseason totals for #BroncosCountry :
28/44
397 passing yards
4 total touchdowns
0 turnovers
What does his future look like?
Stidham Hasn’t Proven He’s Full-Time NFL Starter
While Stidham enters his sixth season in the NFL, on paper he doesn’t appear to be a much better option than Wilson.
Over the last two seasons, Stidham was the quarterback AFC West teams called on when they benched their longtime highly paid starters late in the season.
After spending his first three seasons as a backup with the New England Patriots, he started the final 2 games of the season for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022 after Derek Carr was benched and went 0-2.
After signing a 2-year, $10 million contract with the Broncos in 2023, Stidham started the final two games of the season after Russell Wilson was benched. He’s now 1-3 overall as a starter with 1,422 career passing yards, 8 touchdowns and 8 interceptions.
Nix set the FBS Division I record with 61 starts during his college career at Auburn and Oregon. By comparison, Wilson had 28 starts over three seasons at BYU wbefore he was selected No. 2 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. Both Wilson and Nix are 24 years old.
Stidham is 28 years old and started 37 games across 3 seasons at Baylor and Auburn.
Broncos Closing In On Season Opener Sept. 8
The Broncos now turn their total focus to selecting their 53-man roster by the NFL’s deadline for cutting down roster on Aug. 27 and then to their regular-season opener at the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 8.
From his role carrying the clipboard, Stidham will get to witness a piece of franchise history when the Broncos play Seattle. That’s because Nix will be the first rookie starting quarterback for the Broncos since Pro Football Hall of Famer John Elway in 1983.
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Former Broncos Starter ‘Disappointed’ Backing Up Rookie QB