Patriots coaches echo players about challenge of facing Broncos' Jarrett Stidham

Earlier in the week, multiple New England Patriots players made it known they weren't taking Denver Broncos backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham lightly ahead of this coming Sunday's AFC Championship Game in Denver. 

Stidham is starting in place of QB1 Bo Nix, who recently underwent surgery on his injured ankle. On Thursday, Patriots coaches echoed what New England players said about what Stidham could offer the Broncos with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. 

Patriots feel Jarrett Stidham could be "the starter for a number of teams"

"I don't know if it's so much the challenge of that he hasn't played in a while, more than just the whole team as a challenge," Patriots inside linebackers coach and defensive play-caller Zak Kuhr said while speaking about Stidham, per Conor Ryan of Boston.com. "He’s very capable of being a starting quarterback. He could be the starter for a number of teams. Very talented, athletic, smart. He can run better than what most people think. Strong arm, very accurate. You watch this film. But I don’t think it brings some added level of difficulty as far as preparing for it."

Much has been made about the fact that Stidham hasn't thrown a meaningful in-game pass since he last made a regular-season start in early January 2024. That said, the Patriots thought so highly of Stidham that they looked into bringing him back to the organization last offseason. 

Stidham spent the first three seasons of his pro career with New England after the club made him a fourth-round draft pick in 2019. 

Patriots' Josh McDaniels knows Jarrett Stidham will "be ready to go" for AFC title game

Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels previously worked with Stidham when the two were employed by the AFC East club. McDaniels was later Stidham's head coach with the Las Vegas Raiders for one season. 

"Smart. Accurate. A great human being," McDaniels added about Stidham. "Worked hard. A great teammate. Just hasn’t had an opportunity based on situations and those kinds of things. I enjoyed working with him. I enjoyed my time with him. I’m sure he’ll be ready to go this week for sure." 

League insiders seemingly aren't quite so high on what Stidham will be able to accomplish against the New England defense. As of Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook continued to list the Patriots as 4.5-point road favorites against the Broncos.