The Broncos’ backup quarterback situation has gone from unsettled to downright murky after the final preseason game, and Jarrett Stidham didn’t do much to calm anything down.
Denver didn’t need its No. 2 quarterback until the AFC Championship Game during the 2025 NFL Season, when Bo Nix’s heartbreaking broken ankle pushed Stidham into action. That cameo went badly from the start. Stidham looked overwhelmed, the offense never really found a rhythm, and even with the defense keeping the Broncos in it, he didn’t look comfortable running the show.
That uncertainty has carried into the preseason. Stidham had one solid outing against the Atlanta Falcons, but the last two weeks were forgettable.
Against the Packers, he finished 9/15 for 82 yards and an interception. Against the Vikings, he went 6/9 for 78 yards and delivered a rough throw that led to Marvin Mims Jr. getting his foot bruised.
The injury doesn’t appear to be serious, but Mims had no real shot at the ball.
Sam Ehlinger, meanwhile, took a different path through those same games. He was 2/2 for 10 yards against Green Bay, then followed that with 15/20 for 165 yards and 3 touchdowns against Minnesota, though he did throw one interception. Even with that mistake, he bounced back and helped Denver roll in a blowout win.
And that’s where the Broncos are now: Stidham hasn’t put the backup job out of reach, despite being the kind of experienced reserve who should have been able to lock it up with steady preseason play. He did that last preseason, but not this time.
Ehlinger brings a different kind of case. He has only three career starts, went 0-3 in those games, and owns a 76.1 passer rating there.
The experience gap is obvious, and so is the drop-off from Stidham. But Ehlinger has looked better in the preseason and offers more athletic upside, the kind that fits closer to how Nix plays.
Denver could stick with Stidham as the more proven and consistent option. It could turn to Ehlinger. It could even go outside the building for help, though that would bring the usual downside of disrupting chemistry and asking a new quarterback to catch up fast in the playbook.
For now, the Broncos may be headed toward keeping three quarterbacks. However they handle it, this is one more roster question they likely didn’t expect to be staring at.
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Broncos Just Made Final Cuts A Lot Tougher Than Expected
The Broncos closed the preseason with a 34-6 rout of the Vikings, and the lopsided finish only sharpened the pressure on the front office as the roster deadline approaches. What had looked like a fairly straightforward trimming exercise suddenly has a few more names in the mix, thanks to backup performances that stood out when the stakes were highest for fringe players trying to survive the final round of cuts.
Sam Ehlinger and Cody Schrader both turned in notable outings that will make the conversation a lot more interesting over the next few days, while Marvin Mims Jr. left with a foot bruise but is expected to recover. Not everyone helped his case, either, as Barron struggled and could be staring at a tougher path than he seemed to have going into the finale, which is exactly the kind of late twist that can turn a routine cutdown into a real debate. [Read more 🡒]
Marvin Mims Jr. Just Put A Broncos Decision Back In Play
Marvin Mims Jr.s preseason debut for the Broncos was over almost as soon as it began against the Vikings, and the quick exit put an immediate spotlight back on his role in Denver. Mims was escorted to the sideline and then to the locker room after suffering a foot injury at the end of the first drive, a frustrating turn for a player whose speed and return ability have been part of the conversation around his place on the roster.
The timing matters because Mims has been viewed as one of the players who could shape Denvers decision-making at returner, and any injury concern naturally spills over into bigger questions about availability and contract talks. The Broncos do have other options if Mims is limited, which gives the team some insurance, but it also leaves a key special teams discussion hanging while the injury picture sorts itself out. [Read more 🡒]
Kolbe Katsis Just Made The Broncos' Easiest Cut A Real Problem
Sean Payton reached for a little pop-culture theater before the preseason game, borrowing an analogy from The Voice to push his players into the spotlight. For a Broncos roster still taking shape, that kind of message fit the moment. Denver has long been willing to keep undrafted free agents around if they earn it, and wide receiver Kolbe Katsis has done exactly what an uphill roster candidate needs to do by standing out when the games started counting for evaluation.
Katsis made his case in the preseason, and the loudest part of it came in the return game, where his work on kickoff and punt returns gave the Broncos something useful to think about at two spots at once. Wide receiver depth is always part of the calculation, but so is the return specialist job, and Katsis has put enough on tape to make what looked like an easy cut a little less simple. Denver still has to sort out the final roster, but his performance has created a real conversation where there may not have been one before. [Read more 🡒]