HUGE CHAOS: Broncos Players Grumbling Sean Payton’s 2-Words Description of Broncos QBs That Goes Viral

The Denver Broncos may have the most intriguing set of quarterbacks in the NFL, and head coach Sean Payton has come up with a rather unusual descriptor for them.

Payton praised Zach Wilson, Jarrett Stidham, and youngster Bo Nix during organized team activities this week. The coach stated that all three quarterbacks split first-team reps and are competing for the starting job. Payton then referred to the trio as “orphan dogs.”

“We attempt to break up the reps. “There will be a time when you read into the reps, and I don’t think it’s early in OTAs,” Payton said Thursday, according to ESPN’s Jeff Legwold. “It’s kind of like an orphan gang; they’re all orphan dogs. They came from somewhere, and they’re doing well. It’s a good room.

What did Payton intend by this? In some ways, all three quarterbacks are throw-away players. Wilson was a flop with the New York Jets despite being drafted second overall in 2021. Stidham, a fourth-round choice of the New England Patriots in 2019, has played infrequently over five NFL seasons and made little impact. Nix received little attention as a part of this year’s rich quarterback draft class, but the Broncos thought highly enough of the former Oregon star to select him 12th overall.

Following Thursday’s practice, Payton had a particularly good assessment of Nix. Nix, Wilson, and Stidham could all possibly find some success in the right circumstances. In that respect, they’re similar to orphaned dogs looking for a good home.