As Sean Payton suggested, the Denver Broncos kept all three quarterbacks on their initial 53-man roster.
With Bo Nix winning the starting gig out of training camp, the question was whether Denver would keep Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson on the initial roster or release one. In the end, the club kept all three, allowing them to take advantage of the emergency third QB rule.
"We think highly of the quarterback room," Broncos general manager George Paton said Tuesday, via the team's official transcript. "I really liked the process. I thought the competition brought out the best in really all of the quarterbacks. All these guys support each other, they compete and they work well together. We looked at last year [and] I think almost half the league kept three quarterbacks. With the rule changes, we think that number will increase. We're glad to have all three."
Wilson, who quickly found his way out of the starter competition during camp, was the more likely to be released. Entering his fourth season, however, he'd have been subject to waivers before Denver could have stashed him on the practice squad. The additional QB on the practice squad would also have negated most of the third QB benefit.
"With Zach, we knew Zach was really talented," Paton added. "We didn't know the person. We love the day-to-day with Zach and we love the person. He's smart and [has] all the intangibles. He obviously played well and he moved the team, and 'Stiddy' (Stidham) did as well. We like our group."
Wilson is an interesting character in the group.
After washing out of New York after three gruesome seasons, the former No. 2 overall pick didn't last long in the QB1 competition in Denver. However, he showed marked improvements during preseason action. He displayed better processing, less jitteriness in the pocket, and made far better reads than in New York.
Paton was asked if he thinks Wilson still has starter upside.
"No doubt. He has starter tools all over," the GM responded. "It's been pretty cool just watching him with really no expectations. He can just go out there and play football. He has all the traits. He has all the starting traits in the world. He's still working through some things. You can see the good and the really good last week in the game. He can throw it as good as anyone in the league. I mentioned before, he's smart and he's a great kid. He has starter traits all over. I do think he will be a starter in this league."
Given that the Broncos just spent a first-round pick on Nix, Wilson likely won't be a starter in Denver (if he is, Paton will likely be out of a job).
Wilson's tools have never been the question. We've known he has a whip and athleticism since his BYU days. The issue was between the ears. In New York, he never seemed confident in his process, made faulty reads and boneheaded throws on the regular. We saw little of that in Denver this preseason. Was it simply a product of playing against many players who no longer hold NFL jobs? Was a few months under Payton the elixir the first-round pick needed?
Left on the side of the road by New Yorkers, if Payton can turn Wilson into a viable NFL starter in limited time it could be considered his best reclamation project. It would also be an indictment on the offensive coaching staffs (plural) that were put around the quarterback in New York.
