Jarrett Stidham – Page 10 – Syndication Server

Broncos head coach on starting QB battle: ‘I like where we’re at right now’

#Broncos coach Sean Payton made statement on deciding whether Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham or Zach Wilson will lead Denver’s offense in 2024

The Denver Broncos currently do not have a starting quarterback for their 2024 campaign, and their strategy is to use the preseason to see which of three choices will top the depth chart in the regular season.

During comments to the media this week, head coach Sean Payton made a statement about the progress he has made in deciding whether Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham, or Zach Wilson will lead the offense.

“It’s a good group to work with and I know the offensive coaches feel that way,” Payton said. “I feel that way. I like where we’re at right now and that’s encouraging for our team. Because when that’s unsettled and maybe not as far along, then there’s a lot of things you can do well, and yet the team sees there’s a ceiling maybe on what you can do.”

Nix, Stidham, and Wilson split up the action in the first Broncos preseason match where the team faced the Indianapolis Colts, and Coach Payton says he liked what he saw when Nix was on the field.

“His decision-making was good,” the veteran head coach said of the Oregon product. “I felt he was comfortable in the pocket. I thought his locations were good. The number one thing to do at quarterback is lead your team and we scored. There’s two plays where I think he can set his feet.

“He’s kind of backing up a little and we can clean that up, but I liked the production with his group while he was in there. Ultimately that’s their job. The whole group as a whole — and I’m talking the three of them [quarterbacks] — we didn’t have any sacks. There were a lot of positives.”

Payton is looking to the next match for more information on his choice between three experienced quarterbacks, with Nix looking to be a possible favorite after logging 125 passing yards and one touchdown in his first appearance in a Broncos jersey.

Broncos release depth chart for Week 2 of preseason

Broncos coach Sean Payton clearly is not a fan of preseason depth charts. See if you can spot any changes from last week.

The Denver Broncos have unveiled their depth chart ahead of a showdown with the Green Bay Packers in Week 2 of NFL preseason.

The depth chart will look familiar to anyone who paid attention to the team’s initial depth chart release last week. That’s because coach Sean Payton has not made any lineup changes since the original depth chart.

The only two changes are personnel revisions — defensive back Kaleb Hayes joined the team this week and outside linebacker Jaylon Allen was waived. Everyone else on the roster has the exact same placement as last week.

The Broncos will make changes to the depth chart eventually, but Payton is clearly in no rush to let fans and pundits (and opponents) know how the team’s players stack up after one week of preseason action.

Denver also calls it an “unofficial” depth chart, so there’s really not much to glean from it, but here it is nonetheless.

Broncos offensive depth chart

WR	Tim Patrick	Marvin Mims	Brandon Johnson	Phillip Dorsett	Jalen Virgil	Troy Franklin
LT	Garett Bolles	Matt Peart	Demontrey Jacobs
LG	Ben Powers	Calvin Throckmorton	Nick Gargiulo
C	Luke Wattenberg	Alex Forsyth	Sam Mustipher
RG	Quinn Meinerz	Will Sherman	Oliver Jervis
RT	Mike McGlinchey	Alex Palczewski	Frank Crum
TE	Adam Trautman	Greg Dulcich	Lucas Krull	Nate Adkins	Hunter Kampmoyer	Thomas Yassmin
WR	Courtland Sutton	Josh Reynolds	Lil’Jordan Humphrey	David Sills	Michael Bandy	Devaughn Vele
RB	Javonte Williams	Samaje Perine	Jaleel McLaughlin	Tyler Badie	Audric Estime	Blake Watson
FB	Michael Burton
QB	Jarrett Stidham	Zach Wilson	Bo Nix

Broncos defensive depth chart

DE	Zach Allen	Angelo Blackson	Jordan Jackson
NT	D.J. Jones	Malcolm Roach	Matt Henningsen	Jordan Miller
DE	John Franklin-Myers	Elijah Garcia	Eyioma Uwazurike
SLB	Jonathon Cooper	Thomas Incoom	Jonah Elliss
WLB	Baron Browning	Nik Bonitto	Durell Nchami	Dondrea Tillman
ILB	Alex Singleton	Justin Strnad	Andre Smith
ILB	Jonas Griffith OR Cody Barton	Levelle Bailey	Alec Mock
LCB	Pat Surtain	Levi Wallace	Tremon Smith	Kris Abrams-Draine
RCB	Damarri Mathis OR Riley Moss	Art Green	Kaleb Hayes
NCB	Ja’Quan McMillian	Reese Taylor	Quinton Newsome
S	P.J. Locke	JL Skinner	Tanner McCalister	Omar Brown
S	Brandon Jones	Devon Key	Keidron Smith

Broncos special teams depth chart

PK	Wil Lutz
KO	Wil Lutz	Trenton Gill
P	Riley Dixon OR Trenton Gill
H	Riley Dixon OR Trenton Gill
LS	Mitchell Fraboni
KR	Marvin Mims	Tremon Smith	Jaleel McLaughlin
PR	Marvin Mims	Tremon Smith	Michael Bandy

After hosting the Packers this week, the Broncos will close out preseason against the Arizona Cardinals. Both games will be nationally televised.

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Broncos coach Sean Payton pleased with QBs not taking sacks

Broncos QBs were not sacked in the preseason opener, much to the delight of coach Sean Payton: “That was a big issue for us a year ago.”

Russell Wilson was sacked 100 times in two seasons (30 games) with the Denver Broncos from 2022-2023.

It’s obviously not an apples-to-apples comparison because regular season football and preseason football differ greatly, but it is a positive sign that Denver’s quarterbacks were not sacked once in their preseason opener on Sunday.

The offensive line obviously deserves a lot of credit, but the Broncos’ quarterbacks also released the ball quickly, which is something coach Sean Payton preaches.

“Yeah listen, ball out,” Payton said after a 34-30 win over the Indianapolis Colts. “I like the timing, the tempo of when we’re releasing it. That was a big issue for us a year ago with the minus plays. We were towards the back, back half of the league – I think fourth [worst]. So, I was pleased with the timing of what we were doing throwing the ball. It’s important.”

Jarrett Stidham started the game and while he only got two drives, the QB was kept upright.

“Yeah, first off, I thought our o-line – they played great tonight, or today,” Stidham said after the game. “They did great. I mean they’ve been practicing super, super well all training camp. And super proud of those guys.

“And our job is to get the ball out of our hands and find the open guy and if it’s not there, then move around, make some plays with our feet. So, I thought we did a good job of that today. And like I said, that o-line played amazing.”

Broncos rookie Bo Nix replaced Stidham late in the first quarter and he led four scoring drives. Nix was protected well and when things did break down, he made plays with his legs. Nix finished the game with three rushes for 17 yards, and he also bought time to find receivers down field several times.

“It’s really important not to take sacks,” Nix said. “It’s all about knowing where your outlets are, knowing when you’re hot, having a good feel for the pocket, and it’s just being on time, being in rhythm. If you’re one or two is not there, getting to three in a quick manner. I always say I feel like I can take a three hitch and throw and get the ball out without them physically being able to get to me. You know, I think it’s all about a quarterback’s timing.

“The offensive line did a great job today, keeping us up, and they’re going to continue to work to master picking up blitzes and making sure that we’re on the same page of protections. But all that is is work throughout the week, but it was good to get out there in a real game and feel that pocket, and like we say, just get the ball out on time, and usually you can avoid sacks.”

Zach Wilson finished the game with the third-string offense and he did not take any sacks, either. It’s only preseason, of course, but Sunday’s performance reflects well on the offensive line’s depth and Denver’s quarterbacks getting the ball out quickly. We’ll see if that trend continues against the Green Bay Packers in Week 2 of preseason.

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53-man roster prediction after Broncos’ first preseason game

Following the Broncos’ preseason opener, we have updated our 53-man roster prediction.

After defeating the Indianapolis Colts 34-30 on the road in their preseason opener on Sunday, the Denver Broncos are now set to host the Green Bay Packers next Sunday.

Following the first game action of the summer, we have updated our 53-man roster prediction for the Broncos. This projection will also be updated after each of the team’s two remaining preseason games.

Denver will have to make especially tough decisions at wide receiver, running back and cornerback after preseason.

Denver has until Aug. 27 to trim the roster from 90 players down to 53. After finalizing an active roster, the Broncos can build a 16- or 17-player practice squad. We will track all of the roster moves on Broncos Wire.

Broncos 53-man roster prediction

Quarterback (2)

Bo Nix
Jarrett Stidham

For now, we have Stidham edging out Zach Wilson for the QB2 job based on his experience in Sean Payton’s offense. That could obviously change if Wilson finishes preseason on a strong note.

Running back (4)

Javonte Williams
Jaleel McLaughlin
Audric Estime
Blake Watson

The first three RBs listed seem to be locks. The toss-up is the fourth spot between undrafted rookie Blake Watson and veteran Samaje Perine. If the Broncos don’t think Watson would clear waivers to get down to the practice squad, Perine could become a cap casualty this summer.

Wide receiver (5)

Courtland Sutton
Josh Reynolds
Marvin Mims
Troy Franklin
Devaughn Vele

It’s a very difficult decision to cut Tim Patrick, but Vele has impressed this summer and Patrick is 30 years old and coming off back-to-back serious injuries. The Broncos might be able to get Patrick down to the practice squad, and he could be elevated three times during the season. Injuries also happen during the year, so starting the season on the practice squad does not mean Patrick would have to spend the entire campaign there.

Tight end/fullback (5)

Adam Trautman
Greg Dulcich
Lucas Krull
Michael Burton (FB)
Nate Adkins (TE/FB)

No surprises at tight end. Denver could use a difference-maker at the position when they make roster changes in 2025.

Offensive line (9)

OT Garett Bolles
OT Matt Peart
OG Ben Powers
OG Quinn Meinerz
C/G Luke Wattenberg
C/G Alex Forsyth
G/T Will Sherman
OT Mike McGlinchey
OT Alex Palczewski

It’s not ideal to cut a draft pick (Nick Gargiulo), but the Broncos have pretty good depth on the interior offensive line. Frank Crum could be a sleeper to upset one of the veterans for a backup tackle spot.

Defensive line (6)

Zach Allen
D.J. Jones
John Franklin-Myers
Malcolm Roach
Angelo Blackson
Matt Henningsen

The first four players are locks. Eyioma Uwazurike has a real chance to make the team after returning from his suspension, but he’ll need to impress in the final two preseason games.

Outside linebacker (5)

Baron Browning
Jonathon Cooper
Nik Bonitto
Jonah Elliss
Thomas Incoom

The top four seem to be locks and Incoom has impressed at camp.

Inside linebacker (4)

Alex Singleton
Cody Barton
Jonas Griffith
Justin Strnad

Cody Barton appears to have an initial lead over Griffith in the competition for a starting job. Justin Strnad remains a key special teams player.

Cornerback (6)

Pat Surtain
Ja’Quan McMillian
Riley Moss
Kris Abrams-Draine
Levi Wallace
Tremon Smith

Riley Moss seems to be a potential front-runner to start across from Pat Surtain. Kris Abrams-Draine was just drafted this year, Tremon Smith is a key special teams player and Levi Wallace is a veteran with plenty of starting experience. That could leave Damarri Mathis as a surprise cut.

Safety (4)

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

P.J. Locke
Brandon Jones
Devon Key
JL Skinner

Following the departures of Justin Simmons and Caden Sterns this year, it’s easy to pick four safeties from the remaining group.

Special teams (3)

(Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)

K Wil Lutz
P Riley Dixon
LS Mitchell Fraboni

Riley Dixon punted twice in the team’s first preseason game and Trenton Gill didn’t get an opportunity because the offense did such a good job staying on the field. We’ll see if Gill can push Dixon in the final two games.

Injured (2)

LB Drew Sanders (Reserve/PUP)
DB Delarrin Turner-Yell (Reserve/PUP)

Drew Sanders and Delarrin Turner-Yell seem likely to begin the season on a reserve list, so they won’t count against the initial 53-man roster.

Broncos players will get another chance to impress when Denver hosts the Packers in Week 2 of preseason on Sunday. The Broncos’ game against Green Bay will be nationally televised on NFL Network.

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Packers won’t play most starters vs. Broncos in Week 2 of preseason

Broncos QB Bo Nix will face mostly second-string defenders when he starts against the Packers in Week 2 of NFL preseason.

When rookie Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix starts against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, he will face mostly second-string defenders.

“Right now, I don’t anticipate those guys playing versus Denver, the majority of the starters,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said after Green Bay’s first preseason game, via Zach Kruse of Packers Wire. “There may be a select few.”

It would have been ideal for the Broncos to give Nix live-game reps against a starting defense. Fortunately, Nix will face Green Bay’s defensive starters in a joint practice scrimmage on Friday.

“We have the competitive practice versus the Broncos, (we’ll) use that as their game reps and let the other guys play for the most part in that second preseason game, and then we’ll re-evaluate for the third one,” LaFleur said.

As for Denver, coach Sean Payton plans to play most Broncos starters again in Week 2. The team’s plan for their preseason finale against the Arizona Cardinals has not yet been announced.

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Former Broncos quarterback signs with Bills

Former Broncos backup quarterback Ben DiNucci has signed with the Bills. He’ll compete behind Josh Allen and Mitchell Trubisky.

Ben DiNucci is returning to the NFL.

The former Denver Broncos backup quarterback signed with the Buffalo Bills on Monday, the team announced. Buffalo turned to DiNucci after losing third-string quarterback Shane Buechele to a neck injury.

DiNucci, 27, joined the Broncos in 2023 after impressing in the XFL with the Seattle Sea Dragons. He spent that fall on Denver’s practice squad as the team’s third-string quarterback behind Russell Wilson and Jarrett Stidham.

The Broncos waived DiNucci in May after trading for Zach Wilson and using a first-round draft pick to select Bo Nix in April. Stidham and Nix are now competing for the starting role with Wilson serving as QB3 in Denver.

DiNucci, meanwhile, slots into the QB3 role in Buffalo behind backup Mitchell Trubisky and starter Josh Allen. The Bills mark DiNucci’s third team in the NFL after previously playing for the Dallas Cowboys and Broncos. DiNucci has teased a potential return to spring football if his NFL career ever hits a snag.

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Broncos teammates let Jarrett Stidham down in first preseason game

Jarrett Stidham’s first drive was stalled by penalties and his second drive ended with Samaje Perine tipped a pass into an interception.

Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix looked sharp in the team’s preseason opener. Broncos veteran Jarrett Stidham looked fine, but that uninspiring description is no fault of his own.

Stidham’s first drive was stalled by three penalties committed by his teammates. Denver was driving within field goal range between Tim Patrick (taunting), Courtland Sutton (false start) and Mike McGlinchey (false start) committed penalties that stalled the offense’s progress.

“I thought we moved the ball really well,” Stidham said after the game. “We kind of shot ourselves in the foot, mainly those first two drives with penalties and that sort of thing. …

“Obviously, we’ll take a look at the film and get better from it, and obviously clean up the penalties,” Stidham said. “Like I said, that was probably the biggest thing, but thought we were pretty efficient there, pretty early on. Obviously, just the penalties, we’ve got to figure that out for sure.”

On the team’s next drive, the Broncos started at their own 20 and they were approaching midfield when Stidham threw an accurate pass to running back Samaje Perine. The usually-sure-handed running back bobbled the pass and tipped it into Kenny Moore, giving an assist on an interception.

That went down as an interception for Stidham and another failed drive, but it certainly wasn’t his fault.

Stidham finished the game 4-of-7 passing for 37 yards. Through no fault of his own, it was not a memorable performance. The 28-year-old quarterback will look to bounce back when Denver hosts the Green Bay Packers in Week 2 of preseason.

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Broncos’ quarterback competition will heat up this week

The Broncos’ QB competition is entering a crucial week as Denver prepares to host the Packers for a joint practice and preseason showdown.

The Denver Broncos‘ quarterback competition will heat up this week when the Green Bay Packers come to town.

Broncos veteran Jarrett Stidham got the start in the team’s preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, but he only played two drives and those drives were shot in the foot by penalties and a turnover.

Denver rookie Bo Nix then entered the game and impressed, but he played against mostly backup defenders. Zach Wilson got mop-up duties and was efficient, going 10-of-13 passing for 117 yards.

“All three of those guys I thought did a good job,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said after a 34-30 win. “We start with Stiddy and he gets a tough break where the ball bounces off [Samaje] Perine. We’re in scoring position before Tim [Patrick]’s penalty. We’re in scoring position and the penalty brings us out of the scoring position, but all three of them did a good job.”

Nix is now set to start against the Packers in Week 2 of preseason, but the QB battle will face an important test before Sunday’s game.

Green Bay is expected to rest most starters against the Broncos in Week 2 of preseason, but those starters will feature in a joint practice in Denver on Friday. Stidham and Nix are both expected to get first-team reps against Packers defenders, and it could be a pivotal practice for the QB battle.

“I think it’s probably the most important part of the evaluation – these [preseason] games and then the scrimmages,” Payton said.

Nix looked sharp against backups in Indianapolis. If he continues to play well when he faces Green Bay’s starters this week, perhaps the Broncos could announce a starting quarterback before their preseason finale. Payton has not given a timeline for when a starter will be announced, but it’s clear that this week will be important for Stidham and Nix.

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Broncos QB Bo Nix looked sharp in his first NFL game

“I felt very calm and relaxed back there,” Broncos QB Bo Nix said after making his NFL debut. “It was just a game.”

Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix impressed in his (preseason) NFL debut against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

Nix, who was picked by the Broncos 12th overall during the NFL draft in April, played five drives in Week 1 of preseason. Four of those drives ended with scores — two touchdowns and two field goals — and one of them ended when a teammate lost a fumble.

“It was a good day,” Nix said after a 34-30 victory. “I thought we ran the ball efficiently, made some good plays in the pass game, converted some third downs, got points when we needed to. It was a good job going into half with points and coming out with points. I felt like that was a good point in the game. But overall, I felt like we did a good job. Huge team win.”

Nix had a shaky start with two incompletions and a muffed snap but quickly settled down and finished the game 15-of-21 passing for 125 yards with one touchdown and no turnovers. After the game, Nix was asked if it was an adjustment playing at an NFL level for the first time.

“I could tell it was a little bit faster,” Nix said. “It was definitely more professional. The guys are in the right spots. They’re disguising. They’re doing well, they’re where they are supposed to be. But I felt very calm and relaxed back there. It was just a game. They were still in Cover 3, quarters and man. It’s the same defense, and so you just got to figure out which one they’re in and then execute the play that’s called.

“But I thought we did a great job with our play calls today, we stayed in rhythm. We ran the ball efficiently, and that’s always nice. So overall, it was a very productive day.”

A very productive day, indeed. In addition to his efficient passing numbers, Nix also avoided being sacked and rushed three times for 17 yards. It was about as good of a debut as Denver could have hoped for and Nix is now set to start in the team’s second preseason game against the Green Bay Packers. So far, so good for the 24-year-old rookie quarterback.

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Sean Payton not happy with Broncos’ turnovers in first preseason game

“We had four fumbles,” Sean Payton said after the Broncos’ first preseason game. “That has to be better.”

The Denver Broncos defeated the Indianapolis Colts 34-30 in their preseason opener on Sunday. Despite coming away with a victory, Denver coach Sean Payton had a few grievances with his team’s performance.

“There’s going to be a lot of tape that we like,” Payton said after the win. “Then there’s going to be a handful of things that we’ve got to get cleaned up. And really, when you look at the ball security issues – we had four fumbles. That has to be better.

“We talked about it coming into this game, this defense does a good job. They play a lot more zone coverage. They try to separate the ball from the receivers or runners, and so we’re fortunate in that regards to still get the win. I [also] didn’t like the penalties.”

Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix muffed a snap (and recovered it), fellow QB Zach Wilson and running back Blake Watson fumbled an exchange on a handoff, running back Audric Estime had a fumble that was returned by the Colts for a touchdown and tight end Lucas Krull also lost a fumble.

“[T]wo rookies had the ball on the ground,” Payton said. “One was a touchdown, and the other one, obviously we were able to recover, but a significant play later in the game. So those are the things that you’ve just got to make sure you clean up and those guys will learn from it.”

The good news is Denver has two more preseason games to get the miscues cleaned up before facing the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1. Players who made mistakes in Indianapolis have to learn from them and not repeat them.

“[T]hose are lessons and pretty soon, they’re lessons that can’t happen,” Payton said. “That was something I talked about last night. I told the coaches, that’s one concern I have is the ball security in this game coming in. It kind of manifested kind of how I thought unfortunately, I mean, they do a good job of holding players up, stripping the ball – that was Audric’s turnover. We had the exchange problem late in the game, and then obviously those are things that you hope to be cleaning up before the regular season starts.”

In addition to the turnovers, the Broncos also committed six penalties, including three on the opening drive that knocked them out of field goal range.

“We kind of shot ourselves in the foot, mainly those first two drives with penalties and that sort of thing,” quarterback Jarrett Stidham said after the game. “But I mean a lot of good I thought. Obviously, we’ll take a look at the film and get better from it, and obviously clean up the penalties. Like I said, that was probably the biggest thing, but thought we were pretty efficient there, pretty early on. Obviously, just the penalties, we’ve got to figure that out for sure.”

Stidham’s first drive stalled after Tim Patrick (taunting), Courtland Sutton (false start) and Mike McGlinchey (false start) were penalized. Stidham’s second drive ended when running back Samaje Perine bobbled an accurate pass and tipped it into an interception. Those are the kind of mistakes Denver will need to clean up before next week’s showdown with the Green Bay Packers.

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