The sixth day of training camp has kicked off, and on Tuesday morning the first mix up in the carousel of quarterbacks showed. Following recent patterns, it should’ve been Zach Wilson’s time to shine with the ones in practice. However, coach Sean Payton gave the nod to Jarrett Stidham, the presumptive starting QB. Stidham, Bo Nix, and Zach Wilson have been rotating time with the starting lineup dating back to mini camp, and the first sign of change came in late July. Fans and media alike knew the rotation couldn’t continue as it has as the pre season approaches, though Payton indicated that it may not be for good just yet. He has been noncommittal on a time table when it comes to the quarterback position, but it doesn’t take an overly watchful eye to notice that Nix and Stidham have been the two closely tied to the starting role going into week one.
The Denver Broncos do not currently have a veteran quarterback in a position to take the reins and keep the Broncos afloat as a rookie (a 24 year old rookie at that) grasps the changes that the NFL will bring. Knowing this, it is essential to get the QB competition to a close and set Bo Nix up for the few pre season games going into week one in Seattle. Zach Wilson will be a nice reclamation project, one that may or may not pan out going off of his performance in camp thus far. Local media in Denver are convinced that Jarrett Stidham is no lock to be on the team come September, given the Broncos only keep two in the QB room. Payton is tied to Nix for the rest of his tenure in Denver in all likelihood, and Wilson would bring much more upside with his raw talent than Stidham has shown his previous five seasons.
It is a matter of time before the 2024 Denver Broncos come into focus. Less than two weeks from today, the team will take the field for the first time in Indianapolis, and this will present the first glance at what the fans here in Denver can expect just over a month in Seattle. Where things stand now, their first round selection this year has been holding his own in a race with a player who has had a year in Payton’s system, that alone is encouraging. Denver has fallen trap to rookie QB hype many times in the last eight years though, so we are ready to put the past where it belongs and watch the future as it arrives in mere days.
