ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — All three Broncos’ quarterbacks will stretch and warm up with the team in full uniform.
All three will be in uniform, helmet and all, on the sidelines, standing at attention for the National Anthem next Sunday at Lumen Field in Seattle.
Bo Nix will play while the other two, Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson, will be on the sidelines and the bench.
One will be inactive, unable to play unless in an emergency. Emergency?
“He’s out there and he’s doing everything and my understanding is he can enter the game when the other two are hurt,’’ said Broncos head coach Sean Payton.
The Broncos are one of 13 teams carrying at least three quarterbacks. The Saints have three plus Taysom Hill, who plays more tight end and fullback. The Browns had four quarterbacks until cutting Tyler Huntley on Wednesday.
Last year, the NFL adopted a rule where a third quarterback could be used in an emergency and not count against the 48-player game roster – provided the No. 3 QB was on the active 53-man roster.
“I think the exercise is holding on to your assets,’’ Payton said. “Guys that you feel like are talented and certainly that applies to Stidy and Zach. Very much so.”
If another team loses their starting quarterback to injury, don’t be surprised if Broncos’ general manager George Paton receives a call.
Sills impresses
Because the Broncos kept three quarterbacks instead of the usual two, the team is only carrying five receivers instead of the usual six.
Turns out, David Sills V, who spent most of last season on the Broncos’ practice squad, likely would have been the sixth. Sills wound up leading the Broncos’ practice squad again, along with fellow receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey, fullback Michael Burton and running back Tyler Badie.
"Sills had a great camp,’’ Payton said. “He kind of was the first guy we homed in on (to re-sign to the practice squad). . Of course, "LJ'. We've got flexibility with a lot of these guys. … (Badie) and Sills, you can't help but notice them each day.’’
The rookies
Payton was specifically asked about four rookies – offensive tackle Frank Crum, receivers Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele, and running back Blake Watson.
On Crum, the premium undrafted free agent offensive tackle from Wyoming: "His tape has been really good. We all saw (him give up two or three sacks, but it's interesting when you sit up in that room and you just watch every snap from training camp and then the game, which we do. Not only of our own guys. (Tuesday) night I think we finished at 1:30 in the morning and we were watching this player from another team, this player from another team, this player from another team and this player from our team. It gives you a better grasp as to where this guy is at.
“Certainly, he was a guy that we had to really battle in (college) free agency on, but man his size and upside—he wasn't one that we were considering (cutting). We felt like he made this team. Then all week, we go through the process of, ‘Who do we think can make it through waivers?’ and it's not a science."
On Franklin, the fourth-round rookie receiver from East Palo Alto and Oregon: “Here’s what I see—I see great speed. Probably as good run after the catch. Even in his college days. This past week, we saw him again. He’s playing ‘Z.’ I like where he’s at, relative to his progress. I like the selection, especially where we were able to draft him.
“He has rare speed, and then he’s very comfortable catching an in-route and then all of the sudden taking it for a big gain.
“Is there a development to any of these rookies? Absolutely. Working on his lower-body strength and getting stronger there. He’s smart. He picks things up. There are good questions he asks—we were discussing a few things today. I’m excited about him.”
On premium undrafted college free agent running back Blake Watson, perhaps the most surprising player on the Broncos’ 53-man roster:
“Developmental running back. He has joker traits. I’d say he’s strong in traffic. When you just watch his preseason runs, they’re unremarkable if you will, but then when you watch them in a row, there’s power with his finish.
“He had these rare times, 4.31, 11.2 and all these blue marks. Then you see his ball skills. I think he fell behind a little bit at the start with his injury, but we felt strongly it was going to be hard for us to clear him through waivers. That was based on the six or seven teams that we were competing with. That’s where he’s at today.”
On seventh-round rookie receiver Devaughn Vele and his likeness to Tim Patrick, who was surprisingly released: “They have like body types. They’re big, they have strong hands in traffic. They’re smart. They’re tough. They catch it well. They block.
“Devaughn is a guy that I see in a similar way. The sub-slot position to X where Courtland (Sutton) plays and Tim in the same way. Tim’s a sub-slot, but inside out. Then ‘LJ’ is another one who played quite a bit inside. So we all want to run the ball well, and that requires bigger, stronger, physical receivers.
“Tim’s an outstanding blocker and Devaughn’s an outstanding blocker. Obviously, he’s just younger and that’s where he’s at.”
Bronco Bits
Riley Dixon is on his way to a Ray Guy-caliber season. How do we know this? Because he just beat out Trenton Gill, who had 53.6-yard average in the preseason. The NFL single-season record is 53.1 yards, held by former Colorado State standout Ryan Stonehouse, who went 53.1 each of his first two seasons with the Tennessee Titans.
"Riley won that position,’’ Payton said. “We've had a lot of battles. I don't know that that one was that close."
The Broncos players and coaches are resting their bodies and minds Friday, Saturday and Sunday. They will reconvene Monday to ramp up preparation for their season opener next Sunday at Seattle.
The Seahawks went 9-8 and 9-8 the past two seasons after trading away star quarterback Russell Wilson to the Broncos, who have also moved on from the quarterback.
The Seahawks, though, fired Pete Carroll after finishing his 14th season as the team’s head coach in January – even though he averaged 10-6 a year -- and replaced him with Mike Macdonald.
Carroll is two weeks shy of his 73rd birthday; Macdonald is 37. Macdonald spent the previous 10 seasons coaching for the Harbaugh brothers, John with the Ravens and Jim at Michigan.
The Seahawks and quarterback Geno Smith and Carroll beat the Broncos and Wilson and coach Nathaniel Hackett, 17-16 in the 2022 season-opener. Wilson wore a light green tuxedo with a black bow tie to the game.
