The Denver Broncos’ starting quarterback competition has been a three-way battle between the rookie Bo Nix and the team’s two veterans Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson. Of the three, according to multiple reports, Stidham has looked the most polished and ready to start, however, this does not mean Denver’s first-round pick is far behind. In fact, up to this point, Nix has had a terrific offseason from the media’s viewings of team practices and appears to have a strong chance of earning the starting gig come Week 1.
As for the newest addition Zach Wilson, who the Broncos spent nearly two months working out a trade for, earning the team’s starting role currently seems like an extreme longshot. According to The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider, it is “hard to envision” Wilson obtaining the title of ‘starting quarterback’ in Denver this season and potentially even the backup position. Wilson has “ground to make up” to beat out Stidham for the offense’s backup quarterback spot due to a string of concerning performances during OTAs.
Wilson reportedly struggled to respond to pressure, had sloppy footwork at times, and had inconsistent accuracy throughout the team’s OTA periods. Despite having a poor start to this NFL career as a second overall pick with the New York Jets, the expectation when trading for Wilson was that the 24-year-old quarterback would at least push the rest of Denver’s room. While one can argue he has done so, it certainly does not appear that way. Wilson has the most experience in Denver’s quarterback room by a landslide, however, he looked less experienced than rookie Bo Nix during the team’s offseason.
As of now, it is likely going to take a near-perfect training camp and preseason for Wilson to earn the team’s starting job. This should not be a surprise to anybody within the fanbase considering head coach Sean Payton completed the trade simply for competition purposes and not with the intention of Wilson being Denver’s future.
Unfortunately for Wilson however, he may be on his way out of Denver after just one offseason if Payton and his staff choose to retain just two signal-callers heading into the regular season.