Veteran Denver Broncos QB may have huge uphill battle to make final roster
The Denver Broncos have truly shuffled their quarterback room this offseason. Could this veteran QB have an uphill battle to make the roster? Out goes Russell Wilson, and in comes Bo Nix and Zach Wilson, who have joined the room alongside second-year Broncos QB Jarrett Stidham, who was the team's QB2 this offseason.
You have to figure that Bo Nix eventually separates himself from the rest and earns the QB1 job in Denver for 2024 and hopefully years after that, but could the QB2 spot be extremely uncertain at this point? With months to go before Week 1 of the 2024 NFL Season kicks off, anything can happen. Broncos insider and reporter Mike Klis had this to say about the Denver Broncos QB situation recently:
"Jarrett Stidham is in a rare position where he may be the No. 1 QB at the moment, but is trailing the race for season-opening starter. Stidham’s 2024 payout — $6 million with only $1 million guaranteed — is such that he will have to beat out Wilson by a good margin to stick as the top option to Nix."
- Mike Klis
Now this is something. I think Klis puts it perfectly here, stating that Stidham is likely the No. 1 QB right now but may not be a lock to even make the roster. It is a truly odd situation. Stidham is the best QB of the three until proven otherwise, but it might also just be a formality.
With Stidham's contract being moveable and one that could save the Denver Broncos a bit of cap space, cutting ties with the veteran passer does make sense if Zach Wilson shows enough. However, Mike Klis phrased it as "...is such that he (STIDHAM) will have to be out Wilson by a good margin to stick as the top option to Nix."
That is much different than saying that Zach Wilson needs to beat out Stidham by a wide margin. When Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos swung the trade for Zach Wilson, I bet their original thought was that Wilson can earn the QB2 behind Bo Nix, and I bet that's still what they think. After just one year with the Denver Broncos, could Jarrett Stidham be on the outside looking in?