Sean Payton explains curious decision to pull Russell Wilson early

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton said QB Russell Wilson and the offensive starters would play 20-24 plays on Saturday night against the 49ers.

Most of the starters did, but not Wilson.

After engineering a nice 13-play drive that resulted in a field goal, Wilson was benched for backup Jarrett Stidham the next possession. He got just one series.

It wasn’t for performance reasons, as Wilson looked great. He completed 3-6 passes for 24 yards, but even more encouraging was Wilson running three times for 25 yards. He also had another long run called back because of holding on Courtland Sutton.

In the first drive with Stidham, guys like Javonte Williams, Sutton and Jerry Jeudy were still in the game. So it was unclear why Wilson was on the sidelines.

After the game, Payton explained his thinking, which was certainly curious to some.

“It was part of the plan going in. To play him 15 (plays) or so. And then get Stidham some work with the first group before we made the overall change,” Payton said.

In a way, it makes sense. If Payton had seen what he needed to see, keeping Wilson healthy should be the priority. It was just a preseason contest after all.

But on the other hand, if Wilson was going to get 20-24 snaps, that’s what Payton should’ve given him. He played well, but finding the end zone would’ve been nice.

Regardless, we’ll have to see if Wilson is now done for the preseason. The Broncos have joint practices with the Rams this coming week before hosting them next Saturday at Empower Field at Mile High. If Payton sees enough during the scrimmages, Wilson might not see the field again until Week 1.

And given Payton’s cautious approach against San Francisco, that’s probably the smart bet,

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