The Broncos have a real battle for backup quarterback

Jarrett Stidham got his chance last year and it came in one of the brightest stages possible, he failed spectacularly and now the Denver Broncos could be replacing him in his role.

We’re seeing this play out right now by how Sean Payton is talking. He could’ve gone back to the well and named Stidham the backup to start camp. He didn’t do it Friday. He didn’t do it Saturday. And the reason is becoming clearer by the day, there’s a real battle for the spot.

The Denver Post’s Luca Evans reported Saturday from camp that the Stidham-Ehlinger QB2 battle “appears very real” after another day of work at Broncos Park. When you pair that with everything Payton has said — and, more importantly, what he hasn’t said — a picture is forming.

Stidham isn’t being handed his job back.

Everyone knows what happened in January. Bo Nix goes down with a broken ankle against Buffalo, and Stidham gets the call in the AFC Championship against New England. He finished 17-31 for 133 yards. A touchdown. An interception. And a fumble that handed the Patriots seven points and ended Denver’s season in a low-scoring affair, just one game short of the Super Bowl.

That fumble still stings and it may have opened the door for Sam Ehlinger.

He had a chance to leave last year. The Colts came calling during the 2025 season, and Indianapolis was ready to bring him in as a starter. He stayed. Payton explained why on Saturday.

“I think we just sold our program and the offense,” Payton said. “There was nothing — we could never promise anything other than I would say this: we saw like immediate growth. I think he felt like, ‘I want to continue with this offense and continue where I’m going.’ I think he felt good about it to make that decision.”

No guarantee, just Ehlinger betting on himself and the orange and blue.

The Colts pivoted to pulling Philip Rivers out of retirement. Ehlinger stayed in Denver and went to work.

Payton has talked about Ehlinger’s “it factor” before. The football IQ. The quick processing. The feet. On Friday, Payton refused to name a backup behind Nix, saying there’s “a competition at all these spots” — quarterback included.

None of this means Stidham is cooked. But the AFC Championship tape is the AFC Championship tape, and Nix is coming off two ankle surgeries in six months. The Broncos need a backup they trust if things go sideways again. Stidham has to earn that trust back.

The preseason games will tell us the most. But right now, in the August heat at Dove Valley, Sam Ehlinger is making everyone question who will hold the clipboard behind Nix.

Related

Broncos president admits ‘frustration’ as 2031 stadium timeline tightensBroncos hire the architect behind the Raiders’ stadium — the same firm designing the Chiefs’Bo Nix asked if he’ll take off less after ankle surgeries, ‘absolutely not’Payton says Broncos will explore bringing in Taysom HillIs Broncos defensive lineman Zach Allen on track for the Hall of Fame?Sean Payton is confident that the Broncos can stay hungry