Those with a ticket to the Broncos preseason finale Sunday against Arizona are in for a matinee rendition of the Zach Wilson Show.
Denver head coach Sean Payton on Friday confirmed that Jarrett Stidham will start the third and final preseason game but will play only 8-12 snaps. After that, the team plans to get a good, long look at Wilson.
Rookie quarterback Bo Nix, who on Wednesday was named the team’s starter, is not expected to play. Nor, Payton said, will most of the Broncos’ offensive starters.
“We’re trying to pay close attention to the snaps,” Payton said. “… This will be more two phases rather than three phases.”
Though Payton made it clear he was not ready to make any announcements about his 53-man roster on Friday, he spoke like a coach giving strong consideration to keeping all three to start the season.
“We’ve got a pretty good idea of the direction we’re going,” Payton said. “We’re going to meet here in about five minutes — (general manager George Paton), myself and a few others — and kind of go through the depth chart as we see it and the discussion of players. I think we’ve got a real good handle on that room specifically.
“We’re not announcing anything, but I’ve said this and I’ll say it again: I like the room. I think we’ve got better, and this will be a good test and good opportunity for Zach getting work with the second wave. He’ll get a lot of snaps.”
Payton said the club would “certainly” entertain the idea of keeping three quarterbacks on the roster.
“We studied it and 14 of the 32 teams last year (did it). Just under half the league,” Payton said. “… Ultimately, I think most importantly you’re really looking at your assets when you make that decision.”
Payton said multiple times this week and reiterated Friday that he didn’t think a mostly off-kilter, 2-of-6 performance last week against Green Bay was entirely on Wilson.
“So often it’s hard to evaluate that position if the other elements aren’t working,” Payton said, noting that among those that will get time Sunday are rookie running back Audric Estime and rookie wide receivers Devaughn Vele and Troy Franklin. “Watching him really follow up the week he’s had in practice and take it to the game and run the huddle and just seeing him play (will be good).”
Wilson, 25, is an interesting reclamation project after the 2021 No. 2 overall pick’s failed three-year stint with the New York Jets. He’s got 33 starts under his belt at the pro level and is just a few months older than Nix. The Broncos acquired him and a seventh-round pick from the Jets in April in exchange for a sixth-round pick. The teams agreed to split his salary this year, putting Denver on the hook for $2.73 million guaranteed.
“He throws the ball really well and I think the consistency of how he throws the football (has improved),” offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said Thursday. “As he gets more comfortable with the receivers and what we’re doing, his accuracy has really improved. I think he was disappointed in the game he had on Sunday, but man he’s had two outstanding practices since that game.
“He, really, made half-dozen throws that are really impressive and surprising that we all sort of looked at each other after he threw it.”
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