When searching for a top dog, does one go with the old dog, the new dog, or the hot dog? That is the question.
I think that’s Shakespeare, isn’t it? Maybe closer to Berra. But in the beginning of their 65th season, the Denver Broncos have what coach Sean Payton semi-lovlingly describes as an “orphaned dogs” quarterback room, with “old dog” Jarrett Stidham, “new dog” Bo Nix, and “hot dog” Zach Wilson officially embroiled in a quarterback competition with no clear favorites out of the gate.
Stidham isn’t really that much older a “dog” in this fight than his competition, being almost exactly three years older than Wilson, and having sat on enough benches waiting his turn to have been all but vacuum-packed and stored for this occasion. After finding his way to a late-season starting gig for the Raiders, who were coming out of the Derek Carr drama, Stidham made his way to the Broncos, who were eventually working their way out of the Russ Wilson drama. While Jarrett hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire with his starting play, he’s also been lauded for keeping the chains moving and not making mistakes. While he’s probably the least sexy of the narratives Payton can come out of training camp with, he’s also the most known quantity for the coach if he finds himself in a bind.
Meanwhile, Nix isn’t really the young gun of the story, either. Bo is less than six months younger than Wilson is, and has played enough college games as a starter to have logged nearly four pro football seasons. His thinking and mechanics appear to be pro-level ready, and his leadership skills and ability to limit mistakes is already being lauded before he has taken his first pro down. While there are questions still to be answered about Nix’s ability to take some of his collegiate strengths to the next level, he seems to be off to as smooth a start as Broncos fans could have possibly hoped. If he’s the next average game manager, Denver will have spent a little high to procure their new version of vanilla. But if he is something closer to a B+/A- contributor, Payton and Co might have just stolen themselves a star. Nix is certainly the sexiest outcome for Payton to be able to fall back on, with his legendary ability to turn a quarterback’s career then re-established.
Wilson as the “hot dog” of the equation isn’t even the toughest outcome Payton could have, with a relatable story and a less-than-supportive ride in the bright lights of a number-two pick in New York City. While Zach was still hot and cold for the Jets last season, there were a few games in the mix that showed just how valuable he might be with his confidence restored. Maybe a new vantage point provides him exactly that. While he’s the least probable outcome for the Broncos for starting day (one guy’s opinion), he’s well worth the flier they took on what was left of his salary this year. The Broncos may be able to motivate some of that star power back out of him with sheer simple pride. He’s certainly not a Payton prototype, but stranger QB heroes have energed as a stopgap in the Mile High City.
In their way, the Broncos are taking a flier on all three “orphaned dogs”, with each having something to prove, and each coming from a story that explains the chip on their shoulder. As with Nix, if all they end up with is three middle managers, then they’ll probably do well to just keep the least expensive/most popular of the bunch. They are all starting out rotating with the first team offense, so each should get a fair chance to stand out. If one of these dogs can actually claw its way to the top, the Broncos might be able to start building on something sooner rather than later.
