Quarterback talent is endlessly debated across the NFL, but depth is also an important part of the QB equation. Few teams know this as well as the Denver Broncos right now, as they head into tomorrow’s AFC Championship game with their backup quarterback, Jarrett Stidham, stepping into the breach after QB Bo Nix broke his ankle at the end of Denver’s 33-30 win over the Buffalo Bills.
The process of how backup quarterbacks are added or acquired often seems random to causal fans, but with Denver coach Sean Payton it’s not, especially with Stidham. It first came up when Payton was watching Broncos film back in the spring of 2023 when the coach took control of the team.
Payton described that film as “hard to watch” in a piece written by Nick Kosmider of The Athletic, but Stidham stood out, particularly in a game against the San Francisco 49ers when Stidham threw for over 300 yards while playing for the Las Vegas Raiders at the end of the 2022 season.
“If you watch the 49ers game, that’s impressive against a good defense,” Payton said. He was a priority for us, quietly. Fortunately, it worked out where we were able to get him.”
Payton has an extensive history with quarterback depth. He coached under Bill Parcells back in the 90s with the New York Giants when the Giants won a title with backup QB Jeff Hostetler taking the snaps, and he won five in a row with the New Orleans Saints with backup Teddy Bridgewater stepping in.
Stidham was signed when Payton was cleaning up the Russell Wilson mess, as the coach made the landmark move to take a huge cap hit and move on for the quarterback who’d been a star for the Seattle Seahawks.
“That’s when we became aggressive,” Payton said about adding Stidham for depth.
Stidham has waited a long time for this opportunity, especially since there are inside observers who say that he outplayed Nix in training camp back in 2024.
Payton was committed to Nix after drafting him in the top half of the first round, though. When it comes to Stidham's dedication, though, a big part of that is because he’s on a two-year, $12 million deal, which is good money for a backup. That’s a strong incentive to stay ready, and we’ll find out just how ready Stidham is tomorrow afternoon.
An interesting footnote to all this is that Payton has also been saying good thing about Sam Ehrlinger, the third quarterback who’s suddenly become the backup. A lot of his comments are strictly pro forma, but Payton believes in his depth approach, which will face the ultimate test against New England.