Stidham completed seven of 11 passes for 65 yards, no touchdowns and one interception in Sunday's 27-2 preseason win over the Packers. He added a nine-yard touchdown run on his only rushing attempt. Stidham watched Bo Nix lead Denver's offense to 10 points on the first two drives, then played the next four drives. The 28-year-old quarterback showed toughness on his touchdown run late in the first half, but that play accounted for Denver's only points during Stidham's time in the game, and he proceeded to throw an interception on the first drive of the third quarter. Stidham seems to have fallen behind the rookie Nix in Denver's quarterback competition heading into next Sunday's preseason finale against the Cardinals, though the team has yet to officially declare a starter for the regular season.
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Stidham completed seven of 11 passes for 65 yards, no touchdowns and one interception in Sunday's 27-2 preseason win over the Packers. He added a nine-yard touchdown run on his only rushing attempt. Stidham watched Bo Nix lead Denver's offense to 10 points on the first two drives, then played the next four drives. The 28-year-old quarterback showed toughness on his touchdown run late in the first half, but that play accounted for Denver's only points during Stidham's time in the game, and he proceeded to throw an interception on the first drive of the third quarter. Stidham seems to have fallen behind the rookie Nix in Denver's quarterback competition heading into next Sunday's preseason finale against the Cardinals, though the team has yet to officially declare a starter for the regular season.
Stidham started Sunday's 34-30 preseason win over the Colts and completed four of seven passes for 37 yards and one interception. Stidham being the first quarterback in the game suggests he's in contention to win the starting job in the regular season after starting Denver's final two games in 2023, but he didn't do himself any favors with his performance Sunday. The 28-year-old quarterback failed to lead the offense to any points in two drives, and Stidham's final pass was picked off. Rookie 12th overall pick Bo Nix played the next five drives and produced 20 points, including a one-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Mims. Nix's arrow is pointing up in Denver's quarterback competition, but Stidham will have a chance to turn the tide in the next preseason game against the Packers, While Nix is expected to get the start, coach Sean Payton said Stidham will see more snaps against Green Bay, per Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette.
Coach Sean Payton announced Friday that Stidham will start Sunday's preseason opener against the Colts, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports. Per the report, Bo Nix will play after Stidham gets his reps Sunday, followed by Zach Wilson, with Nix potentially getting in some reps with the first-team offense. DiLalla adds that Nix is slated to start Denver's second preseason contest, against the Packers on Aug. 18. While Stidham's name is atop the Broncos' posted unofficial depth chart, that can be taken with a grain of salt, considering that Nix and the team's other rookie skill players are notably listed at the bottom. What's more relevant is that Stidham and Nix have largely split first-team practice reps since camp training began, according to Nick Kosmider of The Athletic. With that in mind, Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post suggests that Nix remains expected to push Stidham for the starting job by Week 1, adding that it would be a moderate surprise if the rookie first-rounder didn't end up getting the nod. For now, however, consider the competition a close one.
Stidham is listed as the No. 1 quarterback on the Broncos' first unofficial depth chart of the preseason Tuesday. Stidham is currently in the lead of Denver's quarterback competition, per the team's first unofficial depth chart, with Zach Wilson listed as the No. 2 man and rookie first-round pick Bo Nix in the No. 3 spot. Preseason depth charts mean little, though, especially given the caveat that not a single rookie is listed higher than as a third-stringer. Competition for the Week 1 starter gig could stretch deep into the preseason for Stidham, Nix and Wilson. If coach Sean Payton opts for all three quarterbacks to get some action during Sunday's exhibition matchup against the Colts, one or two of those signal-callers could have an early opportunity to pull away from the pack.
Stidham said he's "super excited" to compete with Bo Nix and Zach Wilson for quarterback reps at OTAs and believes he could win the starting job, Jeff Legwold of ESPN reports. Stidham said he's "very confident that I can be the guy for us next year.'' The 2019 fourth-rounder isn't unaccustomed to such situations, noting that he "dealt with this before" when New England drafted Mac Jones in the first round. Now, Stidham finds himself in the veteran role of an offseason competition, with Nix having been selected 12th overall in April's draft and Wilson still coming along in his development. Coach Sean Payton has made clear that the Broncos are approaching the offseason as a three-way competition for the starting gig, per Legwold.
Following the 2024 NFL Draft, Stidham is joined in the Broncos' QB room by newcomer Zach Wilson, along with No. 12 overall pick Bo Nix, Nick Kosmider of The Athletic reports. After the Broncos released Russell Wilson last month, it was inevitable that they would add QB depth to join Stidham, who started Denver's final two contests last season. While Nix is no doubt being groomed as the team's future starter, it remains to be seen if he'll step into that role immediately. Until then, Stidham and Wilson will presumably both have an opportunity to compete for the No. 1 role, but neither veteran signal-caller profiles as a high-value fantasy option in either re-draft or dynasty formats.
Coach Sean Payton said Monday that Stidham isn't necessarily in the "driver's seat" but will compete for Denver's starting QB job, per Kevin Patra of NFL.com. The broader context of the conversation involved Payton telling reporters that trading up from pick No. 12 to select a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft was a "realistic" option for the Broncos. He mentioned the Cardinals being in a good spot as owners of the No. 4 pick -- perhaps a nod to rumors that teams like the Broncos, Vikings and Raiders are interested in moving up for Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy. With Stidham and Ben DiNucci being the only quarterbacks currently on their roster, the Broncos are sure to bring in more competition even if it isn't in the form of an early first-round pick. Other options could include veteran free agents like Ryan Tannehill and Carson Wentz or third-tier draft prospects like Bo Nix and Michael Penix. The 27-year-old Stidham has one season remaining on a two-year, $10 million contract, following a 2023 campaign in which he started two games and completed 40 of 66 passes for 496 yards (60.6 completion rate, 7.5 YPA), with two TDs, one INT, seven sacks and eight rushing yards.