The Denver Broncos had not had to use their backup quarterback until the AFC Championship Game during the 2025 NFL Season, as Bo Nix's heartbreaking broken ankle forced backup Jarrett Stidham into the lineup.
Unfortunately, not only did Stidham look overwhelmed from the start, but he honestly didn't give the Broncos much chance in that game. The defense kept the team in, but Stidham just didn't look comfortable. Well, that seems to have continued in the preseason, as the backup QB did have solid outing against the Atlanta Falcons, but he's since had two forgettable outings against Green Bay and Minnesota.
It really makes you wonder at this point if the Broncos actually have their QB2 on the roster, as Stidham's performances over the past two weeks just simply have not been good enough.
Denver Broncos QB2 battle now feels even less certain after final preseson game
Against the Packers, Stidham went 9/15 for 82 yards and an interception. Against the Vikings, he went 6/9 for 78 yards and a pretty terrible throw that got Marvin Mims Jr's foot bruised. Luckily, that injury doesn't appear to be serious, but it was a bad throw that Mims had no chance to catch.
Sam Ehlinger, against the Packers, went 2/2 for 10 yards, and against the Vikings, he went 15/20 for 165 yards and 3 touchdowns, tossing one interception. Ehlinger's interception was less than ideal, but he responded nicely and helped the Broncos cruise to this blowout win.
But the main picture here is Stidham just didn't shut the door on this debate. You would think that Stidham, an alleged high-end backup in this league, would have been able to continue playing well throughout the preseason, giving the Broncos no doubt in their minds that he's the backup.
Heck, he did this last preseason, but why, all of a sudden, did this not happen in 2026? And as for Ehlinger, he has just three career starts, an 0-3 record, and a 76.1 passer rating in those starts. His inexperience is clear, and an obvious drop-off from Stidham.
This does put the Broncos in a tough situation, as they could continue to opt for Stidham, who could still be viewed as the better, more consistent option, or they could look to Ehlinger, someone who has played better in the preseason and does present more athletic upside that falls in line with how Nix plays the game.
The last option would be to look externally for a backup QB, but in that event, you run the risk of throwing off some of the established chemistry in the room, and whoever that backup would be would likely be behind and have to quickly learn the playbook.
Denver may honestly be forced to roster three QBs for the time being, but with this solution not being clear, it gives the Broncos one more thing to think about that they probably didn't believe would happen.
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