Jarrett Stidham will be the Broncos No. 2 QB behind Bo Nix

Sean Payton has finally settled the question that’s been hanging over Denver Broncos training camp.

Jarrett Stidham is the No. 2 QB.

The Broncos head coach confirmed after Wednesday’s practice that Stidham would serve as the immediate backup behind Bo Nix heading into the regular season.

“Yeah, he would be now,” Payton said.

The decision comes after a training camp battle that heated up over the last few weeks. Stidham entered the offseason carrying the weight of his AFC Championship performance, a 10-7 loss to New England where he managed just 133 yards, one touchdown, and one interception on 17-of-31 passing after replacing the injured Nix. It wasn’t pretty, and Broncos Country hadn’t forgotten.

But Stidham played well throughout camp and the preseason. In Denver’s opener against Atlanta, he started and led the team to a convincing 27-7 victory. In the finale against Minnesota, he got the start again and guided the Broncos to 10 points on his two drives before handing things over to Sam Ehlinger. Across the three preseason games, Jarrett Stidham was steady, exactly what a backup quarterback needs to be.

Ehlinger, meanwhile, made his strongest case on Friday night against the Vikings. After throwing an interception on his opening drive, the former Texas Longhorn caught fire, going 15-of-20 for 233 yards and three touchdowns, leading Denver to scores on four of his next six possessions. It was the kind of performance that made people wonder if the competition was closer than anyone thought.

Payton acknowledged as much when asked about the Broncos keeping all three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster.

“The great thing is, we’re able to bring three on game day,” Payton said. “There’s a pecking order.”

That pecking order is now official: Nix, then Stidham, then Ehlinger. The Broncos opted to keep all three signal-callers on the active roster rather than risk losing Ehlinger to waivers. A smart move given the depth concerns that surfaced when Nix went down in the playoffs.

Ehlinger will stay ready. He’s shown growth in Year 2 with Denver and has earned the trust of the coaching staff. But for now, if something happens to Nix, it’s Jarrett Stidham who gets the call.

The competition is over. The preparation for Kansas City begins.

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