The Denver Broncos haven’t revealed what their plan will be at quarterback for the team’s preseason opener on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.
Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi told reporters Thursday that the team’s staff was meeting later that day to discuss playing time.
“We didn’t talk last night,” he said, according to KDVR TV in Denver. “I think we’re going to talk this afternoon and solidify that.”
Among the three quarterbacks competing for the Broncos’ starting position is former BYU signal caller Zach Wilson — the former Jets quarterback who fell out of favor after struggling in New York — along with veteran QB Jarrett Stidham and rookie first-round pick Bo Nix.
When Denver released its first unofficial depth chart earlier this week, Stidham, who is in his second season in Broncos head coach Sean Payton’s system, was in the No. 1 spot, with Wilson the backup and Nix third string.
Multiple reports out of camp, like this one from The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider, indicate that the battle is likely already down to two — Stidham and Nix, with Wilson the odd man out.
“Payton said nothing in the competition ‘is etched in stone’ at this point, but the distribution of the reps tells us all we need to know about where the race stands. This is Nix vs. Stidham,” Kosmider wrote Monday.
Even if there’s no indication about quarterback rotations at this point, Sunday’s game against the Colts (11 a.m., MDT, on NFL Network) will provide the fourth-year pro Wilson, along with Stidham and Nix, opportunities to showcase what they can do when facing opposing defenses.
Kosmider provided some optimism — along with criticism — about what Wilson has done thus far in training camp with his new team after being traded this offseason.
“Wilson has had nice moments. He is unafraid to push the ball down the field. But the accuracy on the deep ball hasn’t been there consistently, and he still struggles to adapt to pressure,” Kosmider wrote. “It’s possible the Broncos keep Wilson on the 53-man roster and continue to work on his development. That would give him a year to watch and learn like he was supposed to get in New York last season before Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles minutes into his Jets debut.”
Wilson, for his part, told reporters he’s trying to focus on the things he can control instead of worrying about things like the quality of reps he’s getting.
“I think when you really sit down and think about it, I’ve got no control over that,” said Wilson, who, according to the team website, has worked with the third string several times in recent practices.
“… I think the worst you can do is let it affect you, so the best you can do is just say, ‘OK, I’m going to take what I get and go out there and do the best I can and put my best foot forward and try my best and try to help this team do the best it can getting down the field and complete some passes.’ I think that’s all you’ve got to worry about.”
Here’s four other Utah-related storylines to follow during the opening week of NFL preseason play:
Will Britain Covey get more work as a wide receiver?
- The game: Philadelphia Eagles at Baltimore Ravens, Friday, 5:30 p.m. MDT
The former University of Utah star has developed into one of the NFL’s top punt returners, but as Covey heads into his third season in the league, all with Philadelphia, he wants to take on a bigger role as a wide receiver.
Various reports indicate that the 5-foot-8 Covey is in contention to become the Eagles’ No. 3 receiver behind All-Pro wideouts A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
“I think I’ve grown the most as a receiver,” Covey said after a practice last week, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia. “Reliability as a receiver is important. And if you think about it, in this offense, we’ve got A.J., Smitty, Dallas (Goedert) and Saquon (Barkley). So your third receiver that’s out there, he needs to be able to affect the game in ways other than just being ball-centric. There’s only so many footballs to go around.”
CBS Sports’ Jeff Kerr, after observing the team’s final practice before their Friday preseason opener against Baltimore, said Covey “seems to be the front-runner” for the WR3 position.
“Covey has been reliable throughout this training camp, becoming the leader in the clubhouse for the WR3 job,” Kerr wrote.
How will Kingsley Suamataia hold up to his first in-game NFL test?
- The game: Kansas City Chiefs at Jacksonville Jaguars, 5 p.m. MDT
The most anticipated camp position battle for the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs is at left tackle.
There’s a Utah product squarely in that discussion.
Suamataia, a second-round draft pick who played at BYU, Oregon and Orem High, is battling with second-year pro Wayna Morris for the starting left tackle position.
So far in camp, the rookie Suamataia has taken the bulk of first-team reps at left tackle, and the game against the Jaguars gives him the chance to show what he can do in a live game, against an opponent.
“He’s worked in with those starters, and he’s doing a nice job there,” Kansas City coach Andy Reid said last weekend, according to Arrowhead Report. “He’s working, number one, hard on the things we’re trying to teach him.
“There are a lot of new things that he’s working, and he’s playing aggressive and getting better every day. He’s not taking steps back, which is important. He’s getting to go against good players, which also is important, and competing there.”
Jordan Love will play, but how much?
- The game: Green Bay Packers at Cleveland Browns, Saturday, 2:25 p.m. MDT
Earlier this week, Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur said that the team’s franchise quarterback will play in the preseason opener.
This comes two weeks after Love, the former Utah State standout, signed a contract extension that will tie him for the highest paid player at the quarterback position in league history.
The reported four-year, $220 million contract extension brings with it $155 million guaranteed and a record-breaking $75 million signing bonus, as the Deseret News previously reported.
“I think just going through kind of reevaluating the last couple years from when we’ve had guys not play and last year having them, all the guys play, I thought it was beneficial for us early on, especially Week 1, just to kind of knock some of the rust off,” LaFleur said Tuesday, per ESPN.
Love played in all three preseason games for the Packers last year when he was heading into his first season as Green Bay’s starter.
What other Denver Broncos Utah ties will stand out?
- The game: Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, 11 a.m. MDT (NFL Network)
There are currently seven players with Utah ties on the Denver roster, a league high.
While offensive tackle Garett Bolles and wide receiver Tim Patrick are longtime Broncos, the other five, including Wilson, are new in Denver.
There’s veteran linebacker Cody Barton (Utah and Brighton High), two rookie draftees in outside linebacker Jonah Elliss (Utah) and wide receiver Devaughn Vele (Utah), and undrafted rookie tight end Thomas Yassmin (Utah).
Sunday’s game will provide each of them a chance to showcase in live-game reps what they can do.
On Thursday, Vele lit up social media with a one-handed, leaping grab for a touchdown.
“I like his size and hands in traffic. I thought he’s had a couple snaps now this week where, man, we gotta keep giving him opportunities because I think he has strong hands in traffic,” Payton told reporters earlier this week, regarding Vele.
“… His ability to catch away from his body — when you’re throwing it to him, he’s got a large catch radius and so you become a more accurate quarterback.”
This week’s NFL preseason schedule
Note: For NFL+ subscribers, all NFL preseason games will be streamed live on NFL+.
Thursday
- Carolina Panthers at New England Patriots, 5 p.m. MDT (NFL Network)
- Detroit Lions at New York Giants, 5 p.m. MDT
Friday
- Atlanta Falcons at Miami Dolphins, 5 p.m. MDT
- Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers, 5 p.m. MDT (NFL Network)
- Philadelphia Eagles at Baltimore Ravens, 5:30 p.m. MDT
Saturday
- Washington Commanders at New York Jets, 10 a.m. MDT
- Chicago Bears at Buffalo Bills, 11 a.m. MDT (NFL Network)
- Las Vegas Raiders at Minnesota Vikings, 2 p.m. MDT (NFL Network)
- Green Bay Packers at Cleveland Browns, 2:25 p.m. MDT
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Cincinnati Bengals, 5 p.m. MDT
- San Francisco 49ers at Tennessee Titans, 5 p.m. MDT
- Kansas City Chiefs at Jacksonville Jaguars, 5 p.m. MDT
- Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Chargers, 5:05 p.m. MDT
- New Orleans Saints at Arizona Cardinals, 6 p.m. MDT
Sunday
- Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts, 11 a.m. MDT (NFL Network)
- Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Rams, 2:30 p.m. MDT (NFL Network)