Sean Payton is cautious when asked who the Denver Broncos’ QB2 is ahead of Week 1

For the first time since 1983 with John Elway, Denver Broncos will start the regular season with a rookie quarterback. Bo Nix, a first-round draft pick in 2024, has been the talk of the town this offseason and this summer and will rightly be the center of attention when the Broncos travel to face Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

But the question of who will replace Nix remains unanswered. The Broncos surprised many by keeping three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster — Nix, Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson.

Stidham still seems like the obvious candidate to be Denver’s No. 2 point guard behind Nix, but with just six days left until Seattle’s season opener, coach Sean Payton has yet to confirm that appointment.

“I’ll get it sorted and keep you posted,” Payton said Monday when asked who Denver’s backup quarterback will be.

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It’s Game Week, albeit Day 1, and Payton wouldn’t just come out and say who his backup QB is. That’s obvious, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be Wilson.

Honestly, Wilson makes more sense as Nix’s backup for a number of reasons — not the least of which is his overwhelmingly positive and supportive attitude toward his rookie. Wilson gushed about Nix in his first public comments since the rookie was named the starter.

“I was excited for him. I don’t think it was too much of a surprise, obviously,” Wilson said Aug. 25 after the Broncos’ preseason finale. “I thought he had a great camp. I told him I was excited for the opportunity. I really believe they’re putting him in a good situation. I thought Sean (Payton) did a phenomenal job … And then Bo just kept getting better and better. So I’m excited to see what he can do, and I think he’s ready for it.”

Compared to Stidham’s somewhat dour and self-centered comments about the loss to Nix, Wilson took a noticeably more supportive stance toward his rookie teammate.

“First of all, obviously, I was very disappointed,” Stidham said Aug. 25. “I know I’m a quarterback in this league. There’s no doubt about that, it just didn’t work out for me. I know what kind of player I am, what kind of person I am.”

Let’s not forget that as a former No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft, Wilson is technically Denver’s most experienced pro quarterback, with 33 career starts. Stidham, on the other hand, has just four NFL starts since entering the league in 2019.

So maybe Payton’s QB2 decision isn’t as “clear” as I wrote above. Stidham seemed to take the loss to Nix in the open playoffs this summer a lot harder than Wilson did, which could create some awkwardness.

Choosing Wilson as a backup could help insulate Nix from those Stidham vibes. But Nix, despite being a rookie in the NFL, is not your typical first-year starting quarterback.

After all, Nix is ​​24 years old, married, and happens to be the most experienced quarterback in college football. whenever to be drafted into the NFL. His 61 college starts — spanning the SEC and the now-defunct PAC-12 — are an NCAA record.

That experience and maturity are part of what made him such an attractive prospect for Payton and the Broncos. If things are a little tense around Stidham, Payton probably doesn’t have to worry too much about Nix’s feelings or his reactions to it.

The Broncos have not yet released an official depth chart, but they will do so before their Week 1 matchup at Seattle. Perhaps Payton does not intend to release any depth chart details to the press until required to do so by the NFL. Or he may be There there, if you know what I mean.

Payton’s primary goal, like that of all of Broncos Country, is to get Nix ready to rock and roll in front of a loud, hostile crowd at Lumen Field. Nix has some unfinished business at the stadium, as he failed to win the PAC-12 title game last season when Oregon lost to Washington at Lumen Field.

“It’s going to be loud,” Payton said of the opener in Seattle. “I imagine it’s going to be a little similar to when Oregon goes to Washington and they play in front of thousands of people. It’s another loud stadium an hour away. So we’ll deal with the crowd noise this week. It won’t be the first game we’ve played where it’s going to be loud.”

Loud stadiums are nothing new to the pros, but Seattle has traditionally been one of the NFL’s loudest arenas, so Payton and Nix will be ready for that. As for which quarterback will be holding the No. 2 spot, that’s an answer we’ll just have to wait a little longer to find out.

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