Troy Renck: He went to Jarrett. Would coach Sean Payton do it again? Watching Broncos practice last week, it became obvious that there is no Usain Bolt in this quarterback race. No one will run away from the field. The decision will come down to philosophy and minute details. And, of course, the gravitational pull that all NFL coaches feel to start the player who gives them the best chance to win each Sunday, as if Sept. 8 is the Super Bowl. So, Sean, is there a world where Jarrett Stidham keeps the job he wrestled away from Russell Wilson last December? Going simply by completions, he has a case, but does it make any sense after drafting Bo Nix?
Sean Keeler: Sense? No. Stereotypical? Yeah. NFL coaches are genetically programmed, football Terminators that they are, to win now. They’re taught that tomorrow is somebody else’s problem because it won’t be yours if you keep going 6-11. But this is different. Payton’s probably arguing with himself in the mirror every morning about QB1. Yeah, you’d probably win more games in September with Stidham at the controls. But is that what this is really about? He should listen to the voice in the reflection, the one telling him that if the Broncos have enough faith in him to eat $53 stinking million in Russell Wilson dead-cap money this year, they’ve got enough faith to stomach whatever rocky rookie moments befall young Bo.
Renck: Stidham remains firmly in the mix because of football clichés. He knows the offense. He takes care of the ball. He brings energy to the huddle. Teammates respect and like him. All of those things matter. And it’s exactly how Teddy Bridgewater beat out Drew Lock the last time Denver held “American Idol” auditions at the most important position. If the Broncos were a contender, Stidham would be the choice for the first month, even if it meant fewer shots downfield. However, they are rebuilding, so the more reps for Nix with the first team, the better.
Keeler: Ah, yes. There’s that other time-tested NFL coaching cliché: the choice that minimizes risk. Which, again, would make perfect sense if all the chips were pushed into the middle of the table for 2024. Or if this were Year 4 of Payton and not Year 2. If you’re going to fashion a rebuild, and the Broncos have fought one the way a toddler fights cough syrup for almost a decade, embrace it. Embrace the stink. Patrick Mahomes turns 29 in September. You’ve got time.
Renck: Before there was Nix, there was Stidham. He was the must-have, signed on the first day of free agency in 2023. He is steady. He is Stiddy. And he profiles perfectly as a backup, the type of player who will be in the league for 12 years. In the evaluation of the quarterbacks, Payton must widen the lens, focus on the macro over the micro. Stidham will likely be the most efficient quarterback after a few weeks. The idea of this season is to make sure Nix is the most effective in January. The evaluation of 2024 is simple: Will the Broncos leave knowing that Nix is the fix at quarterback?
Keeler: He’s Sparky! Never count out a Sparky, hermano. Ever. (We kid, we kid!) While Stidham is the QB option with the highest floor, he also sports the lowest ceiling, boasting a career mark of 1-3 as a starter and a 78.3 passer rating as a pro. Nix is either your Josh Rosen or your Kyler Murray, and there’s only one way to find out which one, and that’s to play him. A lot. Now.
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Originally Published: July 29, 2024 at 1:36 p.m.
