Earlier this week, specifically after Wednesday's practice, head coach Sean Payton announced that Denver's 2024 first-round draft pick and former Oregon quarterback Bo Nix will be the team's starting quarterback. Additionally, Payton mentioned that Nix will not play in the preseason finale against the Arizona Cardinals.
Broncos rookie QB Bo Nix will not play in Denver’s preseason finale vs. the Cardinals. Broncos QB Jarrett Stidham will start against the Cardinals before Zach Wilson replaces him. “I’d like to see (Stidham) get 8 to 12 plays, and then we’ll get a lot of work with Zach (beginning)…
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 23, 2024
The roster deadline is Tuesday, August 27, and with Nix not playing on Sunday against the Cardinals, Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson will have the perfect opportunity to show up, making Sean Payton's decisions regarding the backup quarterback job and the 53-man roster difficult. Usually, teams carry two quarterbacks in the active roster and have an additional one, the third-stringer, in the practice squad, but with how this room has looked so far, I would not be surprised if both Stidham and Wilson are on the roster.
Joe Lombardi said the Broncos would be comfortable with Bo Nix, Zach Wilson or Jarrett Stidham starting for the team. Added no one lost the job, Bo just won it
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) August 22, 2024
Let's look at both quarterbacks, starting with Jarrett Stidham. The Broncos signed Stidham during the 2023 free agency to a two-year deal, after two seasons in New England and one year in Las Vegas. Before joining Denver, Stidham started in two games for the Raiders.
When Russell Wilson was benched last season ahead of the week 17 matchup against the Chargers at home, Jarrett Stidham was the starter for that one, and for the season finale on the road against the Raiders. In those two games, as the starter, Stidham had 496 passing yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and was sacked seven times. Denver won the game against Los Angeles and lost the finale in Las Vegas.
Now with Zach Wilson, the Broncos traded for him ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft following three seasons with the New York Jets. Coming out of college, the Jets selected Wilson with the second overall pick, and the bad coaching did not help the QB succeed, which led the team to trade for veteran Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers suffered a season-ending Achilles tear that forced Robert Saleh to start Wilson, who ended up playing in 12 games last season. Wilson appeared in 34 games throughout three seasons with New York.
Now here is something important ... if the Broncos decide to release or trade veteran Jarrett Stidham, despite knowing Sean Payton's offense for a longer time than Zach, Denver can save $7 million in cap space, which would help following Russell Wilson's big cap hit. Jarrett becomes a free agent after the season. In other words, Zach Wilson is cheaper to have, and in my opinion, he is more talented than Jarrett Stidham. Additionally, Wilson has more playing experience despite being drafted two seasons after Stidham, which could be a better option for the Broncos in case something happens (hopefully not) to rookie Bo Nix.
Teams like the New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams, and Detroit Lions could be interested in trading for Jarrett Stidham, but for the Broncos it would depend on what these teams could offer.
For me, Stidham plays a bit safe, with most of his passing plays being checkdowns, and Wilson is probably more talented. The experience from both could easily lead Sean Payton to have the two on the 53-man roster.