The Denver Broncos do not need a three-man quarterback competition during training camp this summer, and the simplest solution is to remove veteran Jarrett Stidham from the equation.
Stidham can stay for a few more months, but forget about the idea that he would start for the Broncos in Week 1 against Seattle.
Stidham was regarded as a “spark” when Payton benched Russell Wilson last year. What is the genuine truth? Payton simply didn’t like Wilson, and Stidham was the next guy up.
Stidham’s two starts against the Chargers and Raiders were unimpressive. He passed for fewer than 500 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Denver scored 30 points, averaging 15 per game. One of Stidham’s two touchdowns came from a spectacular catch and run by Lil’Jordan Humphrey. That spark did not start any fire.
It’s not personal, but Payton just has two options against the Seahawks.
Either use former No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson as a bridge to rookie Bo Nix, or simply cross him in July and August and hand over the keys to Nix.
The former Oregon and Auburn star was not selected at No. 12 overall in the NFL Draft to sit for long. This isn’t Green Bay, where Jordan Love trailed Aaron Rodgers as Rodgers waited for Brett Favre. We are talking about Stidham and Wilson.
“I believe some of it is a result of what you have within the structure. If you have a starter in the building, that’s the way to go. Sometimes you don’t have that luxury, and that’s the course you take. A lot of it depends on the quarterback’s mental makeup. So I believe it simply varies,” Payton said of a rookie quarterback waiting following OTAs last week.
Translation? We don’t have an established starter in the building, so Nix should seize the opportunity.
Wilson is a fascinating reclamation effort. You don’t go as high as he did in a draft without exceptional raw skill. And he shown that at BYU, but the Jets failed to develop him, and another young quarterback flopped in New York.
It’s worth giving Wilson a fair chance, possibly even a few starts, but nothing more unless he unexpectedly lights it up and becomes the talk of the NFL.
We’ve seen Stidham’s case. He wasn’t the guy in New England or Las Vegas, and he’s now a career backup/practice squad quarterback. That’s OK; he’ll still make a good income, but the illusion that he may be Denver’s starting this season should be abandoned.
Last week, Payton gave each quarterback a day with the top offence. That was a waste of Stidham’s important practice time. When the Broncos return to the Centura Health Training Centre later today, Wilson should get 50 percent of the work and Nix the other half.
With Stidham finishing the second season of a two-year, $10 million contract with Denver, he may be a tradeable asset for a team searching for a backup quarterback. When the Broncos signed Wilson and drafted Nix in the same week, it was clear that Stidham would not play a significant role in the team’s future.
Nix thrives in competition. It’s not like he was the number one overall choice and should be given the job. However, rather than the ruse of a three-man battle, it should be reduced to two.
Wilson still has some potential to explore. Nix represents the town’s future for at least a decade.
Payton should quit putting off the inevitable and narrow things down sooner rather than later.
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