Broncos QB battle: What to know about Stidham, Wilson, Nix

Broncos QB battle: What to know about Stidham, Wilson, Nix

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — With the NFL draft now in the rearview mirror, the Denver Broncos are full speed ahead toward a quarterback competition.

It’s a return to charting every pass, providing progress reports and fielding an array of questions about the situation that has fueled most of their offseasons since Peyton Manning retired after Super Bowl 50.

“So [Hall of Famer] Bill [Parcells] taught me a long time ago — just let them play,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said. “We have to maximize the reps that we have, and let them develop, and that stuff will sort itself out.”

When the Broncos bring in this year’s draft class for their rookie minicamp next weekend, the sorting will officially begin. It will be the first time Bo Nix takes the practice field since the Broncos drafted him at No. 12 in April. He is their highest quarterback selection since they selected Jay Cutler at No. 11 in 2006.

Quarterbacks Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson, who are taking part in phase 1 of the Broncos’ offseason program (largely conditioning only), will begin their real on-field work when the Broncos start OTAs later this month.

Nix will be the first rookie quarterback taken in the first round that Payton has had in his long career as an NFL head coach. It remains to be seen how Payton will divide the opportunities for each to showcase themselves.

Here’s an early look at what each quarterback brings to the table (in order of experience):

Jarrett Stidham

What he has: Knowledge, which is power for Stidham. He’s been around more coaches, learned more systems and likely been coached harder than the other guys given his three years with the New England Patriots and former coach Bill Belichick (that includes the 2021 season Stidham missed after back surgery).

Stidham already navigated the awkward situation of last season when Russell Wilson (now with the Pittsburgh Steelers) was benched and Payton started Stidham in search of “a spark.” Mentally, Stidham is likely far more prepared.

His biggest hurdle: The Broncos are aware of his limitations. In any decision like the one Payton and the Broncos will make about a starter, the question of a plateau lingers and of whether the player will continue to improve.

Stidham’s challenge will be to show more ability and improvement with the opportunity in front of him.

How he can win the job: Think 2016 when the Broncos traded for Mark Sanchez and then traded up in the draft to select Paxton Lynch in the first round.

But Trevor Siemian made far fewer mistakes, ran the offense better and won the job by being the best of the three. If Payton hasn’t made up his mind to play Nix no matter what, Stidham could use that route.

And despite all the handwringing about Siemian as a player, he still started the most wins of any Broncos quarterback in the post-Manning era.

Zach Wilson

What he has: Manning has said how much he dislikes the phrase “arm talent” when it’s tossed around by personnel evaluators about quarterbacks. But Wilson has the proverbial arm talent.

This is a player who was selected No. 2 in a draft by the New York Jets in 2021 and has the best draft-day pedigree in the group.

His biggest hurdle: He is also a work in progress after three exceedingly rocky seasons with the Jets — 25 interceptions compared to 23 touchdowns. He has plenty of repairs to make in his game, the tallest of orders when also trying to learn a new system and compete for a starting job.

Again, if Payton isn’t simply determined to get Nix into the lineup, Wilson’s route will have to include a significant jump from what he showed in his final starts with the Jets before he was benched last season.

How he can win the job: The talent that put him in the top 10 on several teams’ draft boards simply shows through. Tight spirals, good decisions and the kinds of throws the other two may struggle to make at times.

Bo Nix

What he has: A long list of ringing endorsements about his accuracy, poise and maturity. Payton and general manager George Paton also praised his arm strength after the Broncos made him the sixth quarterback off the board.

Nix’s trump card is that he is the first quarterback drafted in the first round by a Payton-coached team.

His biggest hurdle: Defensive coordinators, especially those in the AFC West, will scheme to take away the things Nix was most comfortable doing in the Oregon offense: catch-and-run plays in the short and intermediate areas of the field. Almost a third of his completions were to receivers at or behind the line of scrimmage last season. Those won’t be as readily available or nearly as successful as he settles into the league. He will be forced to show he can challenge all parts of the field and simply deal with the tumult of a quarterback competition along the way.

How he can win the job: By continuously flashing potential. The Broncos organization yearns for the long-term solution he represents at the position.

The head coach, general manager and owner all celebrated his selection. He is their pick.

Whether or not anyone admits it, Nix can play far closer to par than the other two, not repeat mistakes too often, show progress on the learning curve and handle all that comes with the job when the football isn’t in his hands.

His odds improve dramatically if he comes close to doing all that.