The Denver Broncos had a pretty great preseason debut, all things considered. They scored 34 points, they forced a turnover, and most importantly -- the quarterbacks all looked pretty good out there. The more the quarterbacks play well for the Broncos, the better, even though the expectation is that Bo Nix will inevitably be the team's QB1.
With the idea of Nix eventually taking the reins as QB1 in Denver, could teams come calling about the quarterback position over the remainder of the preseason? It would be shocking if George Paton wasn't already taking calls after some of the stuff we saw elsewhere in the league over the first weekend of preseason action.
Specifically, there is one team out there who might come calling sooner rather than later regarding the potential availability of either Jarrett Stidham or Zach Wilson. That team is the Los Angeles Rams, who saw their young quarterback Stetson Bennett throw a whopping four interceptions in his 2024 preseason debut against the Cowboys.
Los Angeles Rams could be Jarrett Stidham/Zach Wilson trade candidate
The Rams seem like a team that would likely be in the market for a quarterback trade for a variety of reasons. First of all, we have the struggles of 2023 fourth-round pick Stetson Bennett on full display in the first week of the preseason. Although Bennett made a nice play to ultimately give the Rams a win in the end, throwing four interceptions on 38 pass attempts is brutal.
Given what we've seen the last couple of years from Rams starter Matthew Stafford, the likelihood of the backup playing in Los Angeles this year is probably decently high. If Bennett continues to struggle in the preseason, they could probably whip up something mutually beneficial with the Broncos. Yes, the Rams have Jimmy Garoppolo on their roster, but this is a team that has cycled through quarterbacks more than a lot of teams in the last few seasons.
We know George Paton and Rams GM Les Snead have done some trades in the past, including the Von Miller blockbuster that helped the Rams win a Super Bowl in the 2021 season. The Broncos could send the Rams Jarrett Stidham and save $6 million in cap space. On top of that, they'd probably get something decent in return from the Rams in terms of NFL Draft capital.
The Rams would upgrade their QB2/QB3 situation substantially and have a much better fallback plan in the event that Matthew Stafford misses time. Let's face it, Jimmy Garoppolo isn't a model of great health, either. Furthermore, the Rams might be a better long-term spot for Jarrett Stidham right now anyway. Stidham is in a situation with the Broncos where even if he opens the year as the starter, he's going to eventually be replaced and have to start over.
The Rams may offer him a viable long-term starting situation with rumors of Matthew Stafford retiring circulating in recent years.
This is still in the idea stage at this point. There haven't been any reports or even really any rumors that the Rams and Broncos could come together on a quarterback trade, but you can see how it would make sense for all parties involved. The Broncos would be fine with Zach Wilson as their QB2 given the fact he has more starts than Stidham and Nix combined anyway.
If the Broncos are set on keeping three quarterbacks this season, this is all a moot point. But I wouldn't be surprised to see them shopping Stidham around with that potential $6 million in savings hanging out there.