Jarrett Stidham or Zach Wilson? As the debate rages over who should win the presidential election, Denver Broncos‘Anger at selection of 53 players after team’s 38-12 victory over the Arizona Cardinals In the final preseason practice game, head coach Sean Payton appeared to settle the matter after the game.

“I’m comfortable with all three of those quarterbacks,” Payton said from the podium. “I think I’ve told you, I see all three of them succeeding.”

Payton has said he would be comfortable keeping all three quarterbacks, including rookie starter Bo Nix, but he has yet to officially say that both Wilson and Stidham are on the roster. He hasn’t said for sure.

Feeling “comfortable” with all three, or saying “I can see” all three making the 53-man roster, still isn’t exactly a guarantee. But it might be as close to a guarantee as Broncos fans can get from the cautious head coach ahead of Tuesday’s final roster deadline.

If we’re going to base it on preseason production, Wilson would earn the nod over Stidham. If we’re going to base it on the Broncos’ near-paranoia in how they protected Stidham’s exposure to live-rep bullets in the preseason — much the same way a team would protect its presumed starter — he appears to be above Wilson in the pecking order.

No matter how you twist the reasoning, Wilson will figure it out a generally good performance in the preseason finale. He went 16-of-25 passing for 251 yards and two touchdowns, finishing with a QB rating of 123.9, while rushing for 22 yards and a touchdown. His 46-yard strike to Broncos receiver Brandon Johnson was a particularly impressive throw, and it led to an explosive touchdown.

“Look, we had some impressive throws. The one-shot play in the hole to Brandon — I mean, he’s got a live arm in the field. I thought he threw it away when he wasn’t there,” Payton said of Wilson’s day at the office. “There were a couple sacks, but for the most part, he moved the ball. You try to gauge, ‘Hey, how’s the offense going to be when he’s there?’ He had plenty of time on the play clock. Plenty of time to get in and out of plays when he needed to. I think he’s had the better part of the last two and a half weeks, really.”

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Meanwhile, Stidham went 2-of-4 for just 28 yards in the limited exposure he got against the Cardinals. It was the typical type of performance, albeit in a small sample size, that you would expect from the young veteran.

“Those guys both looked good,” Payton said Sunday night.

If Payton was going to draft just two quarterbacks, there would have to be compromises between the two quarterbacks. Stidham presents the higher floor, which is attractive in a QB2, while Wilson’s ceiling is clearly many floors higher.

These quarterback questions reveal what the Broncos’ fate would have been if Payton had opted to pass on Nix in the 2024 NFL draft and instead selected a cornerback or edge rusher, as many “experts” predicted. Thank the Football Gods that Broncos fans can look forward to a 2024 regular season with Nix at the helm, instead of two deeply flawed quarterbacks, both of whom have strengths and weaknesses.

But for now, it appears Wilson will either make the roster, or Payton will do his utmost to promote him in hopes of trading him before the August 27 deadline to whittle the roster down to the final 53 players. Look for Nix to be Denver’s starting quarterback when the regular season begins on September 8.

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