Is Sean Payton trying to save Bo Nix for the regular season or is Jarrett Stidham about to steal his spot? Whatever it is, Payton’s decision to let Jarrett Stidham be a starter for the Broncos in the preseason has fans and analysts scratching their heads. “Like I said, there wasn’t a lot of thought,” said Payton about the depth chart released on August 6. But is it really the case?

All this stir and commotion found its place on The Rich Eisen Show. Eisen had the NFL Insider Tom Pelissero on the show to help the viewers understand the situation.

When asked whether Sean Payton’s decisions were set in stone or not, Pelissero said, “I would say, and I’m not inside Sean Payton’s head here, but certainly when you have a veteran like Jarrett Stidham, who has started games for you last year, who’s the veteran in the room, if anything, you’re going to start him in the first preseason game. You’re not going to do it in a later preseason game. In other words, you’re not going to name Bo Nix and say he’s starting the first one.”

Per the depth chart, Jarrett Stidham is supposed to be a starter for the Broncos in the preseason, followed by Zach Wilson and Bo Nix. But ask yourself this: why would the Broncos snub a first-round pick? Wouldn’t it be better to find out whether Nix is NFL-ready or not? Despite Sean Payton’s half-baked list, Pelissero was almost sure that Nix would start the regular season opener against the Seattle Seahawks.

“He’s going to give Stidham a look. That allows Bo Nix to play with and go up against second-teamers in his first time out,” Pelissero explained. “I would not be surprised at all if Box Nix is starting in the second preseason game that’s kind of how these things tend to play out here. I know Bo Nix has been really, really impressive in the training camp. I’d be borderline shocked if he’s not the starter come week 1.”   

Bo Nix has indeed been doing very well in the training camp and Broncos’ linebacker Jonas Griffith can attest to that. “I didn’t realize how fast he was,” said Griffith on Tuesday. “It’s kind of crazy because he had [an opening], he was running, I think it was a few days ago, and I was like, ‘Whoa, he’s kind of fast.’ And I consider myself a fast guy.”

Earlier, Sean Payton cautioned everyone to take his words with a grain of salt. He cautioned people to not read into the order in which the three QBs take snaps. However, he did confirm that Bo Nix is “farther along than most would be,” and that “he’s extremely smart. He’s picked it up very quickly.”

That’s why Pelissero reckons Stidham is starting the first preseason game and Nix will start the second. He also favored Nix to start week 1 of the regular season. But what does Sean Payton have to say?

Is Sean Payton trolling the media?

Firstly, Sean Payton admitted that he didn’t give much thought to the depth chart and submitted it just because he had to. He’s done it in the past too. Also, maybe everyone’s reading too much into it. For him, it’s just simple to rank the QBs based on their hierarchy in the system.

“I’m not ready for a depth chart, but I have to get (the league) a depth chart,” Payton said after Tuesday’s practice. “So, it’s easy to push the (younger) players to the back of the line and then make sure it’s kind of where we sit right now,” adding, “And that’s really it. No, it’s a good question, but I’m not trying to send messages at all.”

Payton’s words only proved to be true twice in the last six preseasons since 2016. So, taking his words with a grain of salt is advisable right now. There are downsides to a losing situation of course, but keep in mind, the Broncos are battling with the Chiefs (back-to-back SB winners), the Raiders (heck of a physical team), and the Chargers (Jim Harbaugh’s new project that’s supposed to impress everyone). Hence, they will surely have a hard time this season regardless of who the starting QB is.

At this point, having a 9-8 season will be a blessing in disguise for the Denver Broncos. What do you think about Denver’s depth chart for the preseason? Let us know in the comments.