Sean Payton skips Zach Wilson in Broncos quarterback rotation

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton wouldn’t say he had cut his starting quarterbacks to two, but he did skip Zach Wilson’s rotation on Tuesday.

After Jarrett Stidham worked out with the starters on Saturday and rookie Bo Nix did the same on Monday, Wilson was next in line to do the bulk of the work with the starters on Tuesday in the same rotation Payton has used throughout the offseason program and the first week of training camp.

Wilson, however, was with the third-team offense on Tuesday. Instead, Stidham spent the day with the starters, while Nix worked most of the time with the second-team offense.

“Look, we have a plan,” Payton said when asked about the order change. “Bo ran the 1s (Monday), Zach ran the 2s; today it was (Stidham) the 1s. No news to announce. I know you’re looking for it, but…”

When asked if Wilson will get more opportunities as the first offense continues to develop, Payton replied, “We’ll see.”

The three had divided the work evenly among the starters: Stidham was first in the starting order, Nix second and Wilson third.

At least until Tuesday.

Payton has not said he has an official timetable for deciding who will be the starting center when the season opens Sept. 9 against the Seattle Seahawks. He has said the rotation could change before the Broncos get deep into training camp.

Stidham started the final two games of the 2023 season after Payton benched Russell Wilson. Nix, the 12th overall pick in last April’s draft, is the first rookie Payton has had in a quarterback competition in his long tenure as a head coach.

The Broncos acquired Wilson, a former No. 2 draft pick, in a deal with the New York Jets just prior to the draft.

“It’s healthy,” Stidham said of the league earlier this week. “It’s one of those things. Every year, their job is to bring in guys that they think can help the football team. And guys that are on the team, they have a job to keep their jobs.”