Sean Payton shared a vivid description of his Denver Broncos QB room, which includes former Auburn quarterbacks Bo Nix and Jarrett Stidham, referring to them as “orphaned dogs.”
Payton detailed the circuitous routes each of his quarterbacks took to Denver: Nix’s journey from Auburn to Eugene, Oregon, before being picked 12th overall in the 2024 NFL draft; Stidham’s path from Baylor and Auburn to stints with the New England Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders before landing with the Broncos; and Zach Wilson’s tumultuous three years with the NY Jets before arriving in Denver in 2024.
“It’s kind of the orphan group,” Payton remarked on May 25 (h/t NFL.com). “They’re all orphaned dogs. They’ve come from somewhere, but they’re doing good. It’s a good room.
“They come from different systems. One is coming from college. One is coming from two or three NFL systems, and the other is coming from one system. They’re all in a race to learn this system. I would say — you guys watched the practice — they’re doing well.”
Former Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham might have a shot at starting for the Denver Broncos in 2024. Based on Payton’s comments regarding practice snaps, Stidham appears to have a legitimate chance to become QB1.
“We had it in New Orleans after Drew [Brees] left with Teddy [Bridgewater] and Taysom [Hill],” Payton said. “Look, we go by what we see. We try to get them as many reps as possible. We rotate. We’re rotating all of them right now. So, Tuesday, ‘Stiddy’ ran with the ones, and then Zach, and then Bo. We’ll keep doing that right now.”
Stidham, who was once considered a potential cut candidate, has made significant progress in Denver this offseason. It’s possible Payton could reward his most experienced option with the starting position to begin the season, adjusting if necessary.
