Payton's Jarrett Stidham Verdict Speaks Volumes About Broncos' QB2 Battle

And just like that, the Denver Broncos' preseason opener has already come and gone.

The Broncos manhandled the Atlanta Falcons on Friday night, 27-7. For the most part, it didn't matter which unit was on the field — the first, second, and third team — the Broncos' elite roster depth was on display at Mercedes-Benz Field.

The first preseason game gave us a long look at the Broncos' two backup quarterbacks. Jarrett Stidham started the game, initially playing with most of Denver's first-team unit, and was given the entire first half, while Sam Ehlinger played the second half with the third-teamers.

Stidham played well, going 9-of-15 for 131 yards and a touchdown, finishing with a quarterback rating of 110.7. Ehlinger's stats, on the surface, seemed efficent — 10-of-14 passing — but he only picked up 67 yards on those completions, and displayed a penchant for bailing the pocket early.

With these two locked in a low-key battle to be Bo Nix's backup this season, Stidham definitely came out on top in the first preseason game. At the podium afterward, head coach Sean Payton reviewed Stidham's half-day at the office.

“I thought he played well," Payton said of Stidham. "I thought he did a good job in the pocket."

Easy money. Courtland Sutton! pic.twitter.com/wX8KXOqHnp
— Mile High Huddle (@MileHighHuddle) August 14, 2026

Stidham had a couple of impressive connections with Courtland Sutton, one of which was a deep 40-yard strike that set the Broncos up for a touchdown on their opening possession. The second saw Sutton make an impressive one-handed catch on a back-shoulder dime from Stidham.

“Courtland, that’s one of the things he does well," Payton said of Sutton's "my ball" mentality.

What Changed and Why Stidham Must Earn QB2

Jarrett Stidham chats with Bo Nix. — Denver Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham (8) during mini camp at Broncos Park. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Although Payton tried to walk back his offseason statements about Stidham and Ehlinger competing for the No. 2 quarterback job, training camp made it clear that the Broncos, at the very least, are making their primary backup of the past three seasons sing for his supper this time around. Stidham has been paid well to be the unquestioned QB2, so what changed going into his fourth season?

The only thing I could point to is the AFC championship game, in which Stidham had to start on short notice for the injured Nix. Stidham started off the game well, but quickly devolved.

The weather played a role, especially the second-half blizzard, but Stidham seemed to shrink in the face of his vast opportunity to prove to Payton and the rest of the NFL that he's starting-caliber quarterback. Instead, he only further solidified his reputation as a backup.

That whole week was a colossal disappointment, starting with Nix's heartbreaking ankle injury suffered against the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round of the playoffs, and it was punctuated with the tremendous letdown of the Broncos losing the AFC title game at home on the heels of such a successful season.

All-Around Disappointment

Denver Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham (8) rushes the ball against the New England Patriots during the second half in the 2026 AFC Championship Game. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

How much Stidham's performance in that game made Payton and the Broncos re-evaluate their view of him is up for debate, but the veteran head coach takes his share of the blame for how the AFC title game shook out, and likes how the still-young quarterback has handled the disappointment.

“He's been great. It wasn't just a disappointment for him," Payton said of Stidham. "I was disappointed in myself. When you lose a game like that, and you go back and look at it closely, and the margins in that game... "

The Broncos knew it was going to be a game of inches against the New England Patriots; it would have been so regardless of which quarterback was starting under center. With a razor-thin margin of error, though, the Broncos could not afford even one turnover, which made Stidham's game-changing fumble such a dagger.

Drake Maye and the Patriots' offense capitalized on the extremely short field, scoring their only touchdown of the game. Without that fumble, the Broncos likely would have won the AFC title game sans their franchise quarterback, even with Payton's questionable fourth-down decision-making, and Wil Lutz's missed field goals.

The 'It Factor'

Still, a quarterback has to cultivate mental fortitude and keep a short memory. Stidham has at least one of those attributes.

"One of his strengths is his resiliency," Payton said. "I think he's got a little bit of the ‘it’ factor that he can come in with. He's really good with the operation and quick with the play. With his experience and his comfort level with how we’re calling it, I thought he handled it well.”

I'm not so sure about the "it factor," but Stidham is a competent backup quarterback who was thrown into an exceedingly rare and unenviable situation this past January. The ball didn't bounce his or the Broncos' way, but after a long offseason of competing with Ehlinger to retain his long-held QB2 job, it really does feel like Stidham is in the driver's seat.

The Takeaway

Barring an epic performance in preseason Games 2 and 3, Ehlinger will remain third in Denver's quarterback hierarchy. And with how stacked this roster is, I'm doubtful the Broncos will be willing to carry three quarterbacks on the roster out of camp, which means Ehlinger is likely to hit the waiver wire at the end of the month.

If he fails to unseat Stidham, Ehlinger may embrace the opportunity to go play somewhere else. While on Denver's practice squad last year, Ehlinger turned down multiple opportunities to go play elsewhere last season, and chose to re-sign with the Broncos in March on a one-year, $2 million deal.

But if this competition continues to trend in Stidham's direction, the writing may be on the wall for Ehlinger in Denver.

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