The Denver Broncos The quarterback competition is over. First-round rookie Bo Nix — the 12th overall selection in the 2024 NFL draft — will take the field with the Broncos in the regular-season opener.

Nix was always the favorite to start, given the high cost the Broncos incurred to acquire the quarterback in the draft. Furthermore, as head coach Sean Payton’s only first-round quarterback during his tenure as head coach, Nix would have to lose his on-field job entirely to not win the starting job.

Not only did Nix not “lose” the starting job, he went out and won it. Given his play on the field, maturity in his preparation, and the way his teammates reportedly react to him, the Broncos may have found themselves a QB1 for the foreseeable future.

While the battle for Denver’s starting quarterback spot is over, with Nix’s preseason campaign coming to an end as he and the rest of the team are not expected to appear in the team’s final exhibition game, the battle for the No. 2 quarterback position is still very much alive.

Not only is the pecking order between Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson still to be determined, but whether either will make the roster is in question, as the team will be down to its final 53 players by Tuesday, August 27. With the stakes now set, Eric Edholm of NFL.com also focuses on the Broncos’ backup quarterback battle, the game to watch in Denver’s final exhibition game.

“With rookie Bo Nix named the Broncos’ Week 1 starter, the question now turns to how many quarterbacks Sean Payton will choose to draft. Is there room for both Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson? Earlier this summer, Payton said all three “possibly” could stay. Both reportedly had encouraging summers in practice, and while neither looked great against the Packers, Wilson was arguably the better of the two this preseason — even with the lamentable safety against Green Bay. Maybe he can light it up one more time this preseason and improve his chances of making the roster — or maybe force a QB-needy team to make an inquiry,” Edholm wrote.

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There are many trains of thought when it comes to the backup quarterback. Does a team want a solid veteran in the room who knows the offense and can provide an extra set of eyes in the meeting room and on the sideline?

A high-floor quarterback who can help an offense function for a short period of time if a starter misses a chunk of games? Given how thin the margins are in the NFL, a backup quarterback thrust into the starting lineup for four games and going 2-2 instead of 0-4 could make or break an entire season.

On the other hand, there’s something to be said for youth and potential, especially since Denver has one of the best offensive minds in football in Sean Payton, as well as rookie QBs coach Davis Webb. Perhaps taking a calculated risk by going with the former top draft pick (Wilson) could be more lucrative for the organization compared to the lower-ceiling/higher-footage veteran (Stidham) on the roster.

If we were to judge the odds, it’s fair to say that Wilson is squarely behind Stidham for the backup quarterback position. With Stidham getting the start in preseason Game 1 and second on the field in Game 2, and Wilson last in both matchups, he appears to be the staff’s preferred option.

On the field, Stidham completed 11 of 18 passes for 102 yards with two interceptions (one of which was the fault of running back Samaje Perine and the other was a deflected ball that went straight into the air) and a touchdown, while Wilson completed 12 of 19 passes with one touchdown and no interceptions.

Stidham’s start in Game 1 was marred by mistakes around him, while Wilson moved the ball with relative ease. While neither quarterback looked great in Game 2, Wilson showed some slowdowns in processing his reads and staying in the pocket too long, which plagued his first three years in the NFL. Neither quarterback was an outright disaster, but neither separated from the other the way Nix did from Stidham and Wilson.

Since the battle seems close, if Denver is forced to let one of the quarterbacks go due to roster math, the option will likely be to let Stidham go. Denver would save $5 million on the cap with only $2 million dead cap by letting Stidham go.

Wilson would save the Broncos just over $2.7 million in cap savings without the dead cap. Would the difference of $3.2 million in savings make or break the bank for Denver? Probably not, but considering Denver is dealing with $67.8 million in dead cap this season, every dollar counts in the final calculation.

Ultimately, the Broncos may have to find a way to keep both Stidham and Wilson. Stidham seems like an extension of the coaching staff and beloved by those on the team, and Wilson’s arm talent and save-the-day scheme may be too tempting for Denver. Either way, both will get another chance to prove they deserve the backup quarterback role and a roster spot in Sunday’s final preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals.

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