Zach Wilson and Jarrett Stidham both made strong cases to stay on the roster after losing out to rookie Bo Nix in the Denver Broncos’ recent quarterback competition.
Stidham led a successful touchdown drive in his only possession on Sunday, while Wilson guided Denver on four scoring drives, helping the Broncos finish a perfect preseason with a 38-12 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
“Both those guys looked good,” said Broncos coach Sean Payton. He added that he would like to keep all three QBs when final cuts are made on Tuesday. “We feel comfortable with all three.”
In his most extensive play this summer, Wilson started a touchdown drive with a 21-yard scramble and threw a 46-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Johnson, who caught the ball despite a defender crossing his path.
Stidham’s brief appearance ended with a 3-yard touchdown run by rookie running back Audric Estime.
“It was great,” Stidham said. “I knew going into it if I went down and scored on the first drive I’d probably be done. So, I’m really proud of the guys.”
Wilson, who was the second overall draft pick by the Jets in 2021, showed his 33 career NFL starts of experience when he led an 11-play, 77-yard touchdown drive.
He made a key scramble from his own 13-yard line on second-and-20 and finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Nate Atkins, giving Denver a 14-0 lead.
“I think getting hit in the face” on the long scramble “will help you get ready,” Wilson said with a smile.
Wilson’s 1-yard run completed an 88-yard drive that made the score 24-6 in the third quarter, and he found Johnson again for a 46-yard touchdown with 6:22 left in the game.
Wilson ended the game with 16 completions on 25 attempts for 251 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. Stidham had directed a 10-play, 55-yard drive with 2 completions on 4 attempts for 28 yards.
Payton reacted strongly when asked if financial factors would affect the decision on how many quarterbacks to keep. Stidham is set to make $5 million this season, and there has been speculation he might need to take a pay cut to stay on the team.
“No, we’ve got enough money,” Payton said. “I understand the question. We feel comfortable with those three quarterbacks. I think I’ve told you already I see the three of them making it.”
When Wilson heard this in the locker room, he said, “Yeah, exciting. But you know cut day’s not until Tuesday, so we’ll see what happens.”
Clayton Tune and Desmond Ridder shared snaps in their final chance to be Kyler Murray’s backup in Arizona (0-3). Tune was 12 of 18 for 119 yards with no touchdowns, an interception, and two sacks by Jordan Jackson.
Ridder was 10 of 16 for 111 yards after Tune went to the medical tent in the closing minutes due to a hard hit that put him in concussion protocol. Tune returned to play and on his first snap threw an interception that linebacker Levelle Bailey returned 96 yards for a touchdown.
Denver defensive back Kedron Smith made his third takeaway of the preseason by recovering Tony Jones Jr.’s fumble at the Denver 3-yard line. Jones was injured on the play with a shoulder issue and did not return.
Matt Prater’s 50-yard field goal as the first half ended made the score 14-3. He also added a 24-yard field goal, and Haassan Hall scored Arizona’s only touchdown with a 3-yard run in the fourth quarter, making it 24-12.
“I just told ’em the effort was good, they battled in there today. But you lost the explosive play battle, you lost the takeaway battle. And that’s what happens, you get beat,” said Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon.
Cardinals safety Darren Hall said that despite the turnovers, the Cardinals “feel good.”
