Entering the first week of OTAs, Denver Broncos quarterbacks Zach Wilson, Jarrett Stidham, and Bo Nix had all hoped for a fair shot at earning the team's starting job come Week 1. Well, that hope remains alive. Head coach Sean Payton informed the media Thursday evening that starting reps were split evenly between Denver's quarterbacks throughout the week.
However, which player is taking the initial lead in Denver's quarterback competition? It should be no surprise that veteran quarterback Jarrett Stidham seems to be the early leader in the clubhouse.
I would say that Day 1 of OTAs looked like day 1 of OTAs.
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) May 23, 2024
Wilson threw a pick. Nix was behind receivers. Jarrett Stidwater probably "won the day" if anyone was keeping an OTA scorecard.
According to Broncos insider for KOA Colorado, Benjamin Allbright, Stidham "won the day" Thursday among Denver's quarterbacks. In addition, Ryan Edwards of KOA Colorado mentioned Stidham, overall, made smart plays throughout team periods. He also utilized the word "steady" to describe the veteran quarterback's plays and added that he "took the check-downs when they were there".
As for quarterback Zach Wilson, he did perform the worst of Denver's three quarterbacks on Thursday. According to Edwards, Wilson appeared the most "erratic" and was scrambling when unnecessary. Rookie quarterback Bo Nix overall had a great week of practice, however, appeared to be a bit "behind" on his targets to his receivers. This is an issue that is very fixable and will likely be cleaned up as soon as Week 2 of Denver's OTAs.
Despite Stidham appearing to be Denver's most polished quarterbacks as of this moment, this should not be a concern at all for fans. The 6 foot 3 quarterback has five years of NFL experience and is the only player at his position who played under Sean Payton last season. Not to mention, he started two games in Payton's offense during the 2023 season.
Nix will continue to improve and rookie growing pains should be completely expected as we are witnessing much worse situations around the NFL with players like Caleb Williams and J.J. McCarthy struggling in their new offenses. It will only be a matter of time before Nix catches up to Stidham and proves he is worthy of Denver's starting job.