UNIVERSITY PARK, Texas — Denver Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham is hosting several of his offensive teammates near his Texas home this week with three or four days of workouts at Southern Methodist University (SMU).
Stidham, the team's incumbent starting quarterback, will compete in training camp and the preseason with first-round rookie Bo Nix and former New York Jet first-rounder Zach Wilson for the No. 1 quarterback position. Stidham was a transfer recruit to Auburn by then offensive assistant, now SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee.
Among other Bronco players attending the passing sessions in Texas is receiver Courtland Sutton, an SMU alum who stayed away from the team's voluntary offseason program in hopes of a new contract but then participated in the mandatory minicamp sessions on June 11-12.
While this may be one of the NFL's youngest and least experienced quarterback rooms, the trio is battle-tested with adversity at a young age.
Stidham is entering his sixth NFL season, but has just four career starts with two coming in the final two games in each of the last two seasons with the Raiders and Broncos, respectively.
Nix is a 24-year-old rookie who has more career starts (61) than any quarterback in the history of college football.
Wilson was the No. 2 overall draft pick in 2021 who then spent three years surviving the heat from the New York media in a chaotic environment.
Due to union rules, players not rehabbing from injuries are not allowed to participate in on-field work outs at the team facility during the summer break from the end of minicamp on June 13 until they are scheduled to report for training camp.
That didn't prevent several Broncos offensive players from gathering Monday, albeit with much less fanfare than some teams and players who have posted videos of their gatherings on social media, at Stidham's home for dinner. Workouts at SMU and several other bond-building activities are scheduled over the next few days, starting Tuesday.
The summertime, off-campus passing sessions were also conducted by former Broncos quarterbacks Peyton Manning at Duke University in 2013 (when he went on to set single-season records that still stand of 55 touchdown passes and 5,477 passing yards) and Russell Wilson at his offseason San Diego home in 2022 (when the season didn't go so well.)
Nix and Broncos rookies will report to training camp next week, July 17, while veterans will join them on July 23.
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