Broncos Coaches & Players Offseason Buzz Points in One Direction for QB1

A lot was said about the Denver Broncos quarterback competition.

May 23, 2024; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham (8) and quarterback Bo Nix (10) during organized team activities at Centura Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

When the cleats hit the grass on July 23, the focus of Denver Broncos training camp will be the three-way quarterback competition. The oddsmakers currently view rookie first-rounder Bo Nix as the favorite to win the starting job, followed by Zach Wilson, and Jarrett Stidham based on betting probabilities.

As the Broncos continue to enjoy their six-week summer — that stretch from the end of mandatory minicamp and the beginning of training camp — the quarterback competition will continue to be the subject of speculation and scrutiny. At the conclusion of mandatory minicamp, we heard one report from 9NEWS' Mike Klis that Stidham had the best offseason of the Broncos' QB trio, according to "almost all media observers."

So, while the oddsmakers and NFL common sense and convention are pointing to Nix eventually being anointed the starter, Klis' report on Stidham provides an interesting counterweight. But what about the Broncos players and coaches?

Let's examine what was said about the quarterbacks during the offseason training camp. Remember, the players and coaches can only answer the questions that are posed to them by the press. Very few media questions were specifically about Stidham or Wilson.

If a player was asked about a specific quarterback, it was almost always about Nix — a phenomenon of draft pedigree. Thus, much of what we'll analyze today will be comments about the first-round rookie.

But there were some general player comments made about the quarterbacks as a trio, as well as at least one about Stidham. With that said, let's examine the players' remarks, starting with the general comments about the trio.

Players on the Trio

RB Javonte Williams

“I like all of them," Williams said in June. "They all have their different styles and you can tell who is throwing you the ball by how hard it is coming and things like that. They are all making good decisions early on and it’s going to be fun.”

OG Quinn Meinerz

“I would say it’s a similar thing with the centers, where you have three guys who are competing and doing great every single day," Meinerz said in June. "It’s really fun to be a part of that where you have three great quarterbacks and three great centers. They’re all competing for their job. Come training camp, it will be really interesting to see what happens. I think they are all playing great and doing great things.”

WR Josh Reynolds

“They’re balling right now," Reynolds said in June. "I know they’re still learning; it’s only been two-three weeks. They’re young right now, but they’re showing real good stuff.”

Analysis

According to the players, the over-arching early returns on the three quarterbacks have been positive. Obviously, one of the themes is the unit's relative youth and inexperience, with Wilson's 33 NFL starts leading the way, followed by Stidham's four starts and Nix's 61 college starts (an NCAA record) as a 24-year-old rookie.

Reynolds is actually catching passes from the players in question, and he said they were all "balling." Williams spoke to their good decision-making and hinted that he can tell who's the passer by the velocity of the ball. There are some interesting implications in that hint.

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Players on Nix

May 23, 2024; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) during organized team activities at Centura Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Stidham

“I’ve known Bo since he was 16 or 17 years old," Stidham said in June. "We go way back. I know him and his family really well, and I hosted him on his official visit to Auburn back in the day. I’ve known Bo for a long time.”

WR Courtland Sutton

"We want to win right now," Sutton said in June. "I think with Bo being a young guy and a guy they took really high, I understand the politics of the game and everyone is rooting for him to be the guy. I think he does a lot of things really well and I think he has the ability to go out and have success early. I don’t see this being a three or four-year process. If it becomes a three or four-year dynasty, then I hope I will be able to be a part of it.”

DL Zach Allen

"Yeah, I think he's really mature," Allen said via Andrew Mason of Denver Sports. "Obviously, for a rookie, the way that he just conducts himself on and off the field is really impressive. And he's just a great guy, great player, and that's all you can ask for. And, you know, obviously, it's early, and I won't say I'm a genius at quarterback play, so I'm not going to act like I know what I'm looking at, but there's definitely some throws that are really impressive and excited to see kind of how things play out."

Rookie OLB Jonah Elliss

“He got rid of the ball really freaking fast," Elliss said of his time with the Utah Utes battling Nix's Oregon Ducks. "We knew and I had a couple of hurries on him, but I never got there. I’m excited to watch him play because I don’t think he will get sacked many times. He gets rid of the ball so stinking fast.”

Rookie WR Devaughn Vele

“[He’s] a great leader and we all look up to him," Vele said in May. "We understand the kind of caliber and competitiveness he brings. We’re all rallying behind him right now.”

Rookie RB Blake Watson

“He’s a Heisman Trophy finalist, so he’s a great player," Watson said in May. "He did great things in college at Auburn and Oregon. I’m excited to see what he does this year.”

Analysis

Nix's fellow rookies wasted little time in closing ranks around him as their leader. Guys like Elliss and Vele have history with Nix as collegiate competitors, so their insights carry a little extra weight.

Sutton's comments are particularly encouraging because he's yet to experience a winning season as a pro, and yet, he doesn't see it taking "three or four years" for the Broncos to have success with Nix as the guy. Sutton complimented the rookie in other ways, too, including his ability to do "a lot of things really well."

Allen seemed struck by Nix's maturity, which makes sense. Nix and Wilson are the same age, despite the latter entering his fourth NFL season. Nix doesn't come off as a shifty-eyed rookie swimming in a sea of sensory overload, and that's a solid harbinger for his future as a Bronco.

As for Stidham's comments about Nix, he didn't reveal anything qualitative. Instead, Stidham spoke to his memories of Nix showing up on the Auburn campus as a teenager. Maybe a kind of, 'Know your place, little bro," type posture. Like my Dad still likes to say, to kind of put me in my place: 'I've got shirts that are older than you.'

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Players on Stidham

May 23, 2024; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham (8) during organized team activities at Centura Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

TE Adam Trautman

"I think he has great control of the line of scrimmage,'' Trautman said of Stidham before the 2024 NFL draft. "He’s very intelligent. One of the things nobody else will see is, when I’m leaving the building as one of the last people to leave, Jarrett is always in there. He’s probably the last one to leave every day."

"Even when he was the backup,'' Trautman also said of Stidham. "I was always amazed by that. That’s why when he was named the starter I was like, 'All right, I’m confident.' Because I’ve seen him. When you see him staying after, guys respect that and you want to play with that and for that. I think he’s pretty damn good. Whatever direction they go in, I do feel confident with Jarrett.”

Nix

“I missed him by a year [at Auburn], but I was able to be around him during recruitment," Nix said the night he was drafted. "I have a lot of respect for him. I got to watch him my last two years of high school. Really thought he did a good job of putting Auburn back to where it was a place that I wanted to go and be a part of. A lot of that was through his leadership, through his play. I’m excited to be with him. I know he’s had a long career in the league and he’s a very smart quarterback, very talented guy. I know he throws the ball really well. I just remember watching him a lot and looking up to him. I’m excited to be his teammate.”

Analysis

Even if Trautman's comments can be extrapolated as perhaps a general locker room view, they were given well before the draft when, for all he and his fellow players knew, Stidham was going to be the Broncos' QB1. Still, Trautman's remarks reveal that Stidham's professional approach to the position gives his teammates some confidence.

Stidham went 1-1 as Denver's starter to close out the season. While he didn't move the offense's needle in a palpable way, it was a smoother operation and he was a more faithful extension of Payton on the field.

That full year in Payton's scheme is a great advantage Stidham has, and not just from a knowledge-of-the-scheme perspective. The players have a year's worth of experience with Stidham, including two games of live-bullet action, and that means something. Whether Stidham can exploit that experience to his ultimate advantage in this competition remains to be seen.

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Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton and rookie quarterback Bo Nix. / Ben Swanson/Denver Broncos

Coaches

Payton on Wilson

“We just felt like, ‘Man, we’d love to work with this guy,'" Payton said. "It wasn’t too long ago we remembered grading him. [We] felt the investment was worth it relative to his skill set and his talent. So it took a while. We spent the better part of a month and a half working on that trade.”

“I like his experience," Payton said. "You can tell he’s played, and I feel like he has very live arm strength. He’s picking up the offense pretty quickly.”

Payton on the Trio

“It’s kind of the orphan group," Payton said in May. "They’ll all orphaned dogs. They’ve come from somewhere, but they’re doing well. It’s a good room.”

"Zach has done a good job," Payton said in late May. "He’s picked things up, and of course ‘Stiddy’ is probably the senior statesman, the veteran of the group, and he’s still young. We’re encouraged with that room.”

QBs Coach Davis Webb on the Trio

"[Nix] has a different experience with ‘Stiddy’ being his second year in the offense, Zach being in multiple systems throughout his career," Webb said last month. "So it’s a good room to have that for a young guy.”

Payton on Nix

"There was a lot made of his offense. I’ve heard it a million times. ‘He led college football with the most quick throws.’ We got it. We understand all that," Payton told FOX Sports' Jay Glazer. "Then when we analytically remove all the quick throws from every quarterback, he was still first in his class, first in his class, first in his class, accuracy, touchdowns—all these recordables. Sacks… the guy gets rid of the ball. There’s so many things that we kept seeing on tape. And then we saw down-the-field arm talent. We’re seeing it right now. So these guys can only run their offense that they’re being asked to run. Our job is to project, ‘Can they run this offense?’ And we think he can.” 

OC Joe Lombardi on Nix

“The good thing is there haven’t been a lot of surprises," Lombardi said in June. "What we thought we saw, what we hoped we saw, I think has shown itself this spring. So maybe a little bit more of a dry sense of humor as you get to know the guy better, but as far as a player, I think what we saw and what we hoped we were getting, so far he’s been as advertised.”

“I would say, you can feel his 61 games played in college," Lombardi said. "With experience, a calmness comes along with it. So he certainly doesn’t feel like a rookie. He’s learning a brand-new system, so whether you’re a veteran or a rookie coming in, that’s common to all these people. He has seen a lot and doesn’t make the same mistake twice very often. There is a maturity level. I think when you draft a guy who is a little bit older, you hope that that comes with it, but he’s certainly shown that.”

Davis on Nix

“Bo is a great kid. He’s been really good out here," Davis said in June. "All of them have done a good job. I think they’ve all had really good days. There are still some rookie moments, but that’s every single rookie in the league. I think he is coming along just nicely.”

Analysis

Again, like the players, most of the questions posed to the coaches were on the Nix subject, which is why there's so much more material to parse through. But hearing from the coaches that Nix has been as advertised so far is easily the biggest takeaway from the Broncos' offseason training program.

Let's hope that it's a harbinger. The story will continue when Broncos training camp begins on July 23.

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