Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton should make a surprising move this week and select Zach Wilson as his backup quarterback.
Many believe Jarrett Stidham will take the position, but Payton declined to confirm anything on a conference call on Monday morning.
“I’ll settle it and keep you guys posted,” a terse Payton told the media.
Payton has spent a lot of the summer “keeping us posted,” but the fact that he is still thinking about it should be positive for Wilson fans everywhere. He performed enough in the preseason to make Payton question if the former No. 2 overall pick should start ahead of veteran Jarrett Stidham.
And it’s sort of weird how Stidham is often referred to as the “veteran” in the Broncos quarterback room. He has started four career NFL games. Wilson has begun 33. Wilson has more experience than Stidham and outperforms him in every way.
Look, it’s not Wilson’s fault that he was selected by the New York Jets. It’s where successful college quarterbacks fail. He was not the first, nor will he be the last, to fail to meet expectations in America’s most recognized city.
Wilson demonstrated his ability to move the ball against the Colts and Cardinals this summer. Wilson went 10-13 for 117 yards in Indianapolis, with no sacks or interceptions. Wilson looked excellent against Arizona. His stats backed up his strong day, with 16-25 for 251 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran the ball twice for 22 yards and another touchdown.
Ask yourself this: if the Broncos are struggling this season and rookie starter Bo Nix is injured, whose quarterback gives them the most opportunity to rally?
It definitely isn’t Stidham.
He demonstrated last year that he plays dull football with a significant lack of explosive plays.
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.
Sean Payton referred to Stidham as a “spark” because he disliked Russell Wilson and was merely the next guy up. Not because he’s capable of producing high offensive statistics on an NFL field.
On the other side, Zach Wilson is still full of potential. You don’t get picked second out of every player in a draft unless you have incredible raw skill. Yes, he may make a few mistakes, but Wilson is capable of moving the football. Heck, GM George Paton claimed last week Wilson had one of the finest arms in the NFL.
“He can throw it as good as anyone in the league,” Paton informed the crowd. “He’s smart and a wonderful child. He exudes beginning qualities all throughout. “I believe he will be a starter again in this league.”
Come now. That’s a lot of praise for a general manager to lavish on a quarterback. Does that seem like a third-string quarterback to you? I did not think so.
Payton also adores Wilson, as he told his former backup quarterback Chase Daniel during training camp. Again, you won’t hear the men in authority say this unless they believe they have a special player on their hands.
“My objective is to make you millionaires, whether with us or another team. “His last two weeks have been excellent,” Payton informed Daniel.
This was before Wilson’s game against the Cardinals, where he dominated. If the head coach and general manager have the same sentiment, let’s stop delaying the inevitable.
Zach Wilson should be the Broncos’ backup quarterback against the Seahawks and throughout the season. The future belongs to Nix, but if something horrible happens, Wilson can keep Denver in games.
Let’s hope Payton realizes this and offers some positive news about his QB depth chart later this week.
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