Sean Payton calls his Broncos QBs ‘all orphan dogs’
After parting ways with former Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson following two seasons, the Denver Broncos enter the offseason with a vacancy for the starting job for the 2024 campaign.
This has left the Broncos with an open competition between offseason acquisitions Jarrett Stidham, Zach Wilson, and rookie Bo Nix.
Head coach Sean Payton has made it abundantly clear that the team will split the offseason reps between their three quarterbacks.
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“We try to split up all the reps,” Payton said via ESPN. “There’s going to be a time when you read into the reps, I don’t think it’s early in OTAs. It’s kind of the orphan group, they’re all orphan dogs. They’ve come from somewhere, but they’re doing good. It’s a good room.”
There isn’t any level of separation at this point as that will only occur once each of the quarterbacks showcases their comfort and command in Payton’s offensive scheme.
Stidham could hold the early upper hand because he played three games last year with Denver, earning valuable playing time. However, his play didn’t demonstrate that he could be the long-term answer under center.
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Meanwhile, Wilson is heading into a brand-new situation after a disappointing first three NFL seasons with the New York Jets. He failed to show any progression in his development while the Jets struggled to get traction behind his performance.
Nix will head into his first campaign with plenty to gain, which could see Payton take more of a patient approach to creating an environment where he can grow and mature into an NFL quarterback. Time will tell what will unfold in Denver in the coming months.
