In his third preseason with the Denver Broncos, Jarrett Stidham is finally looking like the quarterback the Raiders and plenty of others, including Sean Payton, thought he would be coming out of college. Stidham has a few Broncos starts under his belt, but his first two preseason games this season have him looking like a legitimate starting option for an NFL team.
Stidham returned to the Broncos this spring on a new contract after backing up rookie Bo Nix last year. Some say the best backups are the ones you don't hear from often, but Stidham is making a ton of noise early on this August. Following a solid performance in San Francisco last week, he diced up the Arizona Cardinals at home last night, throwing for 240 yards, completing 70% of his passes, and completing a pair of touchdowns to preseason breakout star Troy Franklin.
Overall, he has posted 376 passing yards on 30 completions, completing four touchdowns and not turning the ball over once. Stidham has been explosive with the passing game as well, with several completions over 20 yards, including Saturday's 58-yard completion to new tight end Evan Engram.
Jarrett Stidham could become a prime trade target as the season nears
The current landscape of quarterbacking in the NFL makes two things abundantly clear in this situation: Stidham is playing too well to remain a backup for long, and too many NFL teams could use an upgrade in their backfield for no one to call on his availability.
In the last 18 months, the Broncos have drafted a playoff starter in Nix and helped former top selection Zach Wilson revive his career to the point of securing a backup gig in Miami. With Stidham, it would not shock anyone to see that a few years under Sean Payton and Davis Webb could put his career on a trajectory of seeing starting snaps soon. Beyond those three, the newest Bronco quarterback, Sam Ehlinger, has impressed in camp as well, and could help the Broncos feel comfortable moving on from Stidham at the right price.
Looking around the NFL, there are multiple situations that Stidham could enter into and become a legitimate threat for starting snaps. He would easily beat out failed Bronco Russell Wilson, would probably be better than any of the quarterbacks in Cleveland, is almost definitely better than Daniel Jones and a banged-up Anthony Richardson, would start in New Orleans, and would give a lower-end starter a run for their money in a few other spots.
The reality is that having a great backup quarterback has never hurt any team in NFL history. However, Stidham's recent play almost guarantees that a team or two will call on his availability heading into the final week of preseason play. If the Broncos do decide to move him, the team could cash in on rehabilitating the career of a former failed starter, and either address another need or add to their already healthy 2026 draft capital. Either way, George Paton should have an interesting few weeks ahead of him.