Zach Wilson flipped the script over the past month.

He’s gone from backseat to perhaps backup and done so quickly.

Wilson arrived to the Broncos the same week in April that Bo Nix did and, as such, almost immediately found himself in the background.

He was third up in the three-man quarterback rotation from the start in May.

He was the first to see his reps cut early in training camp.

But over the past several weeks, Wilson has made it clear that he’s worth keeping.

He put it on display again Sunday against Arizona in Denver’s preseason finale — a 38-12 backups-vs.-backups stomping of the Arizona Cardinals.

Wilson finished 15-of-21 passing for 251 yards and two touchdowns plus a rushing touchdown and 22 yards on the ground.

Payton said more clearly than ever Sunday that he intends to keep all three on the roster Tuesday afternoon when the league mandates teams trim from 90 players to 53.

“We feel comfortable with those three quarterbacks,” he said. “I think I have told you already, but I see the three of them making it.”

Of course, it’s bluffing season in the NFL.

Perhaps Payton meant that as strongly as he said it. He really does seem to like this trio. He could keep all three and hope the summer chemistry and good vibes continue on through the grueling regular season.

Or perhaps he was putting the word out: I don’t have to do anything, so you’re going to have to make an offer in order to get one of my guys.

He’s talked in the past about collecting quarterbacks as currency. On Friday, he said of deciding between two and three quarterbacks: “Ultimately, I think most importantly, you’re really looking at your assets when we make that decision.”

Here’s another way in which Wilson has changed the conversation with a standout summer: Instead of a distressed asset, he’s the guy who might be worth stashing away in hopes of Nvidia-like appreciation while Stidham is more fixed income.

Stidham has been steady all of camp, but Wilson’s been exciting. The talent is tantalizing for the 2021 No. 2 overall pick. Payton said on a podcast recently that his job is to make Wilson millions of dollars, whether it’s in Denver or somewhere else.

But why would Payton watch Wilson go “on a heater” in practice this week and decide now is the time to send him elsewhere? Can a coach who is trying to fortify once and for all his reputation as a quarterback developer really watch Wilson throw lasers to David Sills V for 24 yards and Troy Franklin for 21 and rainbows of 37 and 46 to Brandon Johnson on Sunday and decide he’s OK with the guy going to another team now?

Stidham is a known quantity. Nix and Wilson are Powerball tickets. Why swing once at the big prize when you can get two cracks? Why take one bite at the apple if you can take two, regardless of how much conviction you have in your own first-round draft pick?

Nix hasn’t yet played a real game in the NFL. It’s not easy to succeed. It’s not even easy to make it through a 17-game slate healthy, especially for a young player who’s going to rely at least some on his legs like Nix will.

The first hope of every team is that they don’t need their backup quarterback besides occasional mop-up duty. But if the Broncos end up turning to one this year, Wilson provides much clearer upside even if he comes with more risk.

Even their demeanors in the postgame locker room Sunday felt reflective of the current landscape. Neither had spoken with reporters since Nix was named the starter Wednesday, a happening that barely fazed Wilson.

“I was excited for him. I don’t think it was too much of a surprise, obviously,” Wilson said. “I think he’s had a great camp. I told him I’m excited for him and for this opportunity.

“I really believe that they’re putting him in a good situation.”

Stidham, too, likely knew somewhere, somehow that this was how it was going to go. The end result clearly stung him nonetheless. He said he would, “do whatever I can to help Bo get prepared.” But he also added, “Obviously I was very disappointed. I know I’m a starting quarterback in this league. I have zero doubts about that. It just didn’t shake out my way. I know what kind of player I am, the kind of person I am.

“Like I said earlier, I’ll be ready to go if I need to be. I have no doubts that I’m a starting-caliber quarterback in this league.”

The Broncos would probably love it if another team felt even close to that way about Stidham in the coming days.

There are clubs around the league that could use a steady No. 2 option at quarterback and Stidham has shown he’s capable of that.

The Broncos, with their modest league-wide expectations and their tough division and their league-leading dead money number should be shooting for more than steady.

If nothing materializes on the trade front, the Broncos could ask Stidham to take a pay cut from $6 million in base salary and bonuses that he’s due. They could do nothing and simply ask him to be a good soldier. Wilson provides the flexibility to explore all options, though. That in itself is a step in the right direction.

The Broncos started 2024 in a major quarterback mess. They’re still counting $53 million of Russell Wilson’s salary cap hit on their books this year and must take the remaining $32 million in 2025.

Now they’ve got not one avenue to answering the question long-term but two. For a team that’s been through quarterback purgatory and worse the past eight years, that’s worth more than a take-what-you-can-get draft pick on roster cutdown day.

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Originally Published: August 25, 2024 at 5:35 p.m.