Reporters seem more optimistic about Zach Wilson's Broncos future

Quarterback Zach Wilson hinted ahead of the Denver Broncos preseason opener at the Indianapolis Colts this past Sunday that he likely had no long-term future with the Broncos as rookie Bo Nix remained on track to end the month atop the depth chart.

It appears the situation may have changed after Wilson completed 10-of-13 passes for 117 yards in Denver's 34-30 win at Lucas Oil Stadium.

For a piece published Tuesday, Broncos insider Nick Kosmider of The Athletic suggested that Wilson, Nix and journeyman Jarrett Stidham will all make Denver's Week 1 roster.

"Early in camp, [Broncos head coach Sean Payton] made clear that keeping all three QBs on the roster was 'a possibility,'" Kosmider explained. "It could be becoming more realistic given Wilson’s growth over the past couple of weeks."

Later on Tuesday, Broncos reporter Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post echoed Kosmider's take.

"Even though head coach Sean Payton cut Wilson out of reps with the No. 1 offense early in training camp and he’s had more volatility than the other two in practices, he also looks more like a project worth investing in," Gabriel said. "Stidham might be the steadier backup option to Nix, but Wilson’s intriguing."

Wilson largely flopped across his first three NFL seasons as a member of the New York Jets, but he's still just 25 years old and has, at times, looked like a young signal-caller who could become more than a career backup. 

While the Broncos understandably declined to pick up the fifth-year option for 2025 attached to Wilson's rookie contract shortly after they acquired him from the Jets this past spring, Kosmider mentioned that a total of 66 quarterbacks started at least one regular-season game during the 2023 campaign.

"There is merit to a deep QB room, a fact that works in Wilson’s favor as much as his recent growth in Denver’s system does," Kosmider added about Payton keeping Wilson around through at least a portion of the fall. 

As of Tuesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook continued to list Nix as the betting favorite at -310 odds to start over Stidham (+225) and Wilson (+6000) for Denver's Week 1 game at the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 8. 

With that said, it sounds like Payton could give Wilson plenty of chances to impress during this coming Sunday's exhibition matchup versus the Green Bay Packers.