Stidham makes statement early in Broncos’ backup QB derby

ATLANTA — In the Broncos’ backup-quarterback derby, Jarrett Stidham wasted little time making the statement he needed early in Friday night’s preseason opener.

In an opening drive that evoked memories of the touchdown sprint he led in the AFC Championship Game nearly seven months ago, Stidham quickly got the Broncos into full gallop, hitting Pat Bryant on the evening’s first play from scrimmage for 15 yards, then finding Courtland Sutton deep, setting the nine-year veteran up to beat Mike Hughes for a 40-yard reception that set up a 1-yard Adam Prentice touchdown run one play later.

🚨 @SuttonCourtland doing @SuttonCourtland things 🚨

📺: 9NEWS pic.twitter.com/CRnt4m1AZt

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) August 14, 2026

Six plays, 69 yards and Stidham had made his first big impression of the night.

He didn’t stop there, either. After a pair of defensive stops that saw the Atlanta Falcons generate one first down with a Broncos punt in between, Stidham locked back in, hitting Evan Engram for a 24-yard connection to get the Broncos out of first-and-15 at their 6-yard line. He later found Troy Franklin for 23 yards to push the Broncos into field-goal range, leading to a 43-yard Wil Lutz Field goal that increased the lead to 10-0.

With mostly backups at his disposal one series later after a Riley Moss interception, Stidham then finished off the series with a dumpoff to Jaleel McLaughlin, who made a cut and sprinted into the end zone for the touchdown that pushed the Broncos’ lead to 17-0.

It would be a 24-0 lead by halftime after Jahdae Barron’s 97-yard pick-six near the end of the first half.

IT WAS ROUGHER FOR STIDHAM WITH THE BRONCOS’ BACKUPS

Following McLaughlin’s touchdown catch-and-run, the Broncos went three-and-out on consecutive possessions, with Stidham going 1-for-4 for just 1 yard on those series.

Penalties didn’t help on the Broncos’ series near the midpoint of the second quarter. A Reid Holskey holding penalty pushed the Broncos back into second-and-19 at their 9-yard line, after a McLaughlin drop and a 1-yard pass to Cam Ross, the Broncos punted.

Stidham didn’t re-take the field until 59 seconds remained in the first half, but the Broncos went nowhere on three plays. A Dane Key false-start infraction pushed the Broncos into second-and-15; he scrambled out of pressure for six yards, then tried to set Hakeem Butler up for a jump ball deep down the right flank, but the pass fell incomplete.

Stidham finished the evening with 131 yards, a touchdown and 8.7 yards per attempt on 9-of-15 passing. He had two passes skip out of pass-catchers’ hands — one to McLaughlin and another to tight end Evan Engram, who was second among NFL tight ends (minimum 25 targets) in drop rate last year.

So, it was a good night that could have been a bit better … but given how Stidham sizzled behind the (mostly) first-team offensive line, it would be difficult to argue that the night was anything less than a test passed for Stidham as he seeks to hold onto his role as the Broncos’ No. 2 quarterback.

The question now is whether Broncos coach Sean Payton will invert the repetitions for Stidham and Sam Ehlinger on Aug. 21 against the Green Bay Packers, mimicking how he handled the starting derby of 2024 with Stidham and Bo Nix. We’ll likely learn that sometime next week.

But for now, Stidham delivered the performance he needed in his first game action since the 2025 AFC Championship Game.

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