Sean Payton opens door to keep all three QBs on Broncos' Week 1 roster

While the Denver Broncos quarterback room is far from spectacular, it has been one of the most intriguing ones to watch in the NFL preseason. Realistically, cases could have been made for three different quarterbacks to open the 2024 season as the team's starter before the preseason began. Once games took place, though, one quarterback in particular emerged.

Bo Nix, the player Denver took with the No. 12 selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, was recently named the team's Week 1 starter by head coach Sean Payton after he looked excellent in the team's first two preseason games. This was undoubtedly the right decision.

Nix was going to make the team's Week 1 roster regardless of whether he was starting or not, obviously, but now that he's named the starter, Broncos fans are wondering who his backup will be. The team will have to make that decision at some point, but according to Payton, there's a chance that both Zach Wilson and Jarrett Stidham, those players competing for the backup job, will be on the team's Week 1 roster.

"Sure, certainly," Payton said, h/t ESPN. "I know the rule recently changed ... that if you do, that third comes up [to the game-day roster] without any count. But ultimately, I think most importantly, you're really looking at your assets when you make that decision."

Sean Payton leaves possibility open for Broncos to carry three quarterbacks on Week 1 roster

When it comes to being Nix's primary backup, both Wilson and Stidham have cases.

For Wilson, it's all about potential. He was taken with the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft just three years ago by the New York Jets. Sure, things didn't work out at all in New York, but he clearly does have some talent, and there's a reason that the team traded for him.

With Stidham, he doesn't have Wilson's upside, but he offers some familiarity and some stability. He was with Payton and the Broncos last season, appearing in three games and starting two. He doesn't have the upside, but Wilson's lows far exceed the worst of Stidham.

While neither Wilson nor Stidham is the most appealing option, keeping both of them on Denver's active roster would make sense. Nix has looked good, but he's a rookie who was taken much higher in the draft than anyone expected. What if he begins the year as the starter and proves after a month or so of action that he's not ready? The Broncos would want someone to turn to. Since both Wilson and Stidham are unproven in their own right, Payton would presumably want the opportunity to see both in action at some point.

Chances are, if the Broncos choose to waive Wilson or Stidham, they'd almost certainly lose the player, leaving them without a clear-cut QB3. Until Nix proves himself as a worthwhile starter in games that matter, the Broncos will want the luxury of having a third quarterback to turn to in the event of injury and/or finding someone who fits under center.

At the end of the day, trading for Wilson only to cut him before the regular season would be a bad look for Denver. Choosing to get rid of Stidham, the lone quarterback with experience on this Broncos team, could prove to be a mistake too. Keeping both the talented Wilson and the experienced Stidham can and potentially should be the decision Sean Payton makes.