Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton had a lengthy media session on Tuesday morning at the NFL annual meeting in Arizona.
That’s nothing new for Payton who’s great in front of a microphone and usually gives out revealing information.
And while there’s plenty to unpack from what the head coach had to say, quarterback is usually the most interesting subject to fans.
Much like Broncos owner and CEO Greg Penner did on Monday, Payton confirmed that everything is going well with Bo Nix’s ankle rehab and he’ll be ready for offseason activities.
But what about at backup QB with Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger — is the No. 2 job up for grabs during training camp this summer?
“We see competition… and it wasn’t different last year,” Sean Payton said.
Stidham started the AFC Title Game after Nix broke his ankle in an epic 33-30 OT win over the Bills in the divisional round. The Broncos got a touchdown early off two great throws from Stidham, but didn’t score the rest of the game in a brutal 10-7 loss to the Patriots.
Stidham also had a key turnover that gifted New England seven of its 10 points on the way to the Super Bowl, even on a day where the Broncos defense played great.
Plus, right before free agency started, Denver gave Ehlinger a new one-year deal to return worth $2 million. They clearly wanted to keep him in the mix after he had a chance last year to join the Colts’ 53-man roster but decided to stay with the Broncos.
“There’s nothing that’s etched in stone with like, there just isn’t. And so… that’s a good thing,” Sean Payton said of the backup QB job.
Yes, the signs point toward it being Stidham, but there’s also been some trade rumblings attached to his name this offseason. He went 17-31 in the AFC Championship for 133 yards with a touchdown and interception. Stidham also had the aforementioned costly fumble and took three sacks.
Sean Payton could’ve gone out of his way to say the job was still Stidham’s, but he didn’t. We’ll keep an eye on things over the next several months to see if Ehlinger has a shot to rip it away.