The Denver Broncos kicked off their quarterback competition this spring, but the QB battle won’t really start to heat up until training camp begins in late July.
The contenders are Jarrett Stidham, Bo Nix and Zach Wilson. Stidham has an advantage because he’s entering his second season in the offense. He’s also demonstrated leadership by organizing offseason passing sessions with his teammates.
“He’s doing well,” Payton said when asked about Stidham on June 11. “Clearly, within the framework within what we’re doing, he is much further along than in Year 1 in the transition. I’d say he’s looked really sharp during this offseason program. [He is] real decisive. I think the leadership he is able to provide there, and there’s good competition.”
As a first-round pick, Nix is the presumed favorite to win the starting job, but at this very moment, Stidham seems to be ahead of him in the pecking order (Wilson appears to be a distant third). If Stidham and Nix are close during camp and preseason, Nix might get the edge, but he’ll have to perform on the field for that to happen.
The competition will sort itself out this summer. Before the action heats up, though, Stidham seems to be the early leader at QB.
