The Denver Broncos are going into the summer with three quarterbacks — Jarrett Stidham, Zach Wilson and Bo Nix — competing for the starting job. Fans and pundits have their favorites, but coach Sean Payton is not rushing his decision to name a starter for Week 1.
After the team kicked off mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, Payton was asked if he has a date in mind for when he will name his starting QB.
“No, [but] fair question,” Payton said. “I said this relative to this time of the year. It’s not just the quarterback [position], but obviously you’re watching that position. Every day we’re rolling them different with the ones, twos and threes. We’re kind of doing the same thing with a lot of the other position groups. I just feel like this is the time of the year to do that.
“I would say, I have an end date: that would be the week before the first game, but I don’t have a set date.”
The Broncos will go on the road to face the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 8 in Week 1. Payton will obviously make a decision before then, but he doesn’t have a specific date in mind.
Stidham is entering his second year in Payton’s offense, which gives him an advantage at this very moment. However, Nix is a first-round pick and the team’s long-term QB. Payton was asked Tuesday if he’ll make the decision based purely on who gives the Broncos to best chance to win in Week 1 or if he’ll consider long-term ramifications (such as starting Nix to help him develop).
“Fair question,” Payton said. “I still think we always talk about the locker room and the players in the locker room. I think when we get into training camp and when we get into the preseason games, I think oftentimes the decisions take care of themselves. But the object is to win. I understand the question, but in our league it’s year-to-year. We’re competing to win this year, and we’re going to make the right decision relative to who gives us that opportunity.
“I think not only at quarterback, the thing I see different this offseason is in the secondary, in the receiver group… There is a lot of competition for jobs and playing time. That’s encouraging, and I think you guys who follow and who watched these [practices] a year ago, maybe you see something that’s different. Certainly I feel like it’s been different.”
Payton was later asked again about a potential timeline for naming a Week 1 starter. “Here we go again,” Payton said with a smile. “I don’t have a date; I have a gut.”
So, when Payton gets his gut feeling, we’ll know who’s set to start at quarterback for the Broncos in Seattle. Time will tell if that gut feeling comes during training camp or preseason this summer.
