3 Reasons Broncos Are Set to Keep 'All Three' QBs

The Denver Broncos appear set to keep all three quarterbacks but what's the rationale?

Aug 25, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Zach Wilson (4) prepares to pass in the second quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at Empower Field at Mile High. / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Many Denver Broncos fans were surprised by Sean Payton’s post-game comments on Sunday, hinting that "all three" quarterbacks are making the initial 53-man roster. It's not that common for NFL teams to keep three quarterbacks, but it does seem to be much more than coach-speak, so what could be the rationale behind it?

Let’s examine.

Good for Nix

Firstly, keeping all three quarterbacks would be a wise move in order to give Bo Nix the best possible QB room — especially important in his first year even if the Broncos move to just keeping two quarterbacks next year. Zach Wilson, still only 25 years old, is a ‘grizzled young veteran’ with 33 career starts.

Jarrett Stidham has started only four games, but knows the role of a backup QB and knows what Payton wants him to do within the system. Both would be excellent sounding boards for Nix in the film room and their chemistry behind the scenes can certainly help the rookie along the way. 

Good Value

Secondly, Payton is from the Bill Parcells school, and an important tenet is the acquisition of talent for pennies on the dollar to extract the maximum return. Payton genuinely seems to like Wilson, but to get maximum return on investment, it follows that Wilson needs to stick in 2024 so he can get the benefit of Payton’s expertise.

Although it must be said, for a swap of late-round picks in 2024, Wilson was always likely to make the roster. The traits that made him the No. 2 overall pick in 2021 are still there.   

Stidham is more of a stabilizing hand. We know what he looks like in actual gameplay in Payton’s scheme, and he still figures to be poised to come in for mop-up duty if required. Wilson’s potential upside comes to the fore with more time for preparation.

If Nix were to miss multiple weeks to injury, Wilson could step in if allowed the time to prepare. Let’s hope Nix stays healthy.  

Both Wilson and Stidham have acquitted themselves well in the preseason, so the Broncos are not compelled to move on from either. Indeed, having Wilson and Stidham make the roster gives Payton a significant head start in choosing his 2025 backup. 

With both being free agents after the season, having both make the roster allows the Broncos to make a more informed decision rooted in competition, how they contribute in the film room, practice, and possibly games. It's much more preferable than being backed into a corner by only having one make the 2024 roster, potentially letting him walk after the season, and then needing a new backup who may not be familiar with Payton’s scheme. 

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The Niners Blueprint

San Francisco offers the blueprint for the Broncos to follow, especially as it applies to Wilson. Last season, the Niners signed Sam Darnold as their backup and former Bronco Brandon Allen, who eventually became their QB3.

Darnold parlayed his performance and experience with Kyle Shanahan into a one-year, $10 million contract in Minnesota, which Over The Cap currently projects as a fifth-round compensatory pick for San Francisco. The Broncos need to be creative in how they add talent to their roster around Nix.

Wilson could also play himself into getting a new deal with the Broncos. And at any point, he could be used as a trade piece, especially given his residual value. We’ve seen in recent seasons teams scramble to find quarterbacks after their presumed starter has gone down. An in-season trade could also be at play, too. 

3rd QB Rule Vetoed

One final aspect is that this afternoon, the NFLPA vetoed the revised emergency third QB rule.

Important note as teams construct their initial 53-man rosters:

NFL teams were informed that the NFLPA vetoed the revised Emergency 3rd Quarterback rule that would have allowed teams to elevate a bona fide QB from the practice squad an unlimited number of times.

So, the rule…

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 26, 2024

For the purposes of roster exemptions, the rule was proposed that a player designated as the emergency QB could be elevated from the practice squad an unlimited number of times and finish the game if the first two quarterbacks were unavailable through suspension or injury, while still not counting towards the allowed number of gameday elevations (three).

A QB could still be elevated from the practice squad, but would now count towards those precious gameday elevations. So, therefore, again, having all three QBs on the initial 53 would make it a moot point.

Bottom Line

Stidham and Wilson would almost certainly be snapped up if either was released in roster cut-downs. Given everything, though, keeping all three quarterbacks on the initial 53 could certainly behooves the Broncos — for 2024 and beyond.

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