Sean Keeler: Stiddy wasn’t pretty. Sammy E’s barely seen the field. Bo Nix against Green Bay looked ready to pick right back up from where his ankle left us in January. But when Bo had to go, the Broncos went to holy heck in two handbaskets. After Nix led the starters to 10 points on two drives, the Broncos managed only a field goal in their next seven possessions against the Packers. Broncos Country isn’t sure if it can trust Jarrett Stidham or Sam Ehlinger if the worst were to happen to Super Bo again — and I don’t blame the fans. So I pose this question to you: If you were Sean Payton and George Paton, would you get on the phone with Cleveland today to try and swing a trade that brings Shedeur Sanders, who lost the Todd Monken’s quarterback battle in Cleveland, home to Denver as your QB2?
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Parker Gabriel: Well, that would certainly make Deion Sanders’ weekend travel arrangements more convenient. Do you think it would also make it easier … eh, never mind. Bottom line: I cannot fathom that happening, although Payton did wax fairly poetic about Sheduer during the 2025 NFL Draft when his fall to the fifth round was approaching terminal velocity. It’s one thing to be friendly with the coach and his kid, but it’s another when it comes to Payton and being protective about his quarterback room. If he thinks Shedeur would fit well in that room, hey, let it rip. Turns out, Sanders is the No. 2 in Cleveland — somehow — to start the season anyway. But when Payton says he wants anonymous donors in his building, the only exemption is for himself. Shedeur around here would be anything but anonymous. If Von Miller can’t get a call, it’s hard to see Shedeur fitting Sean’s “right 53.”
Keeler: I can’t see Stiddy or Ehlinger winning a postseason game for this franchise, and that’s the problem. I also can’t see Payton trusting his passing game to Shedeur. The former CU Buffs star has the touch, the vision, the cool and the “it” factor — but he’s also got a career sack rate of 9.8% in the NFL, a clip that sits between Russell Wilson’s 10.22% rate in ’22 and 9.15% in ’23 under Sunshine Sean. We saw how long that marriage lasted. So let me throw another name out there: Cowboys backup Joe Milton III. The former Tennessee/Michigan man boasts a TD-to-int ratio of 3-0 and a passer rating of 142.9 this month. That works.
Gabriel: Alright, now you’re cooking. Just like Preseason Milton. The funny thing: Payton never specifically named Milton, but he complained about how the NFL Combine and Pro Days have changed and now it’s just about seeing how far guys can throw the ball … conspicuously soon after Milton hucked it 80 yards or something like that. The thought process here, though, actually leads to the ultimate reason why I can see Payton keeping both at the roster cutdown on Aug. 30 and then maybe even playing it coy until Week 1 on who will be No. 2 and who will be the emergency third on gamedays: Who else is there? Maybe Zach Wilson gets cut at the roster cutdown, but other than that, there haven’t been many young guys who have learned any of Payton’s system since he’s been in Denver. So, are you going to be one injury away from Stidham or Ehlinger as your starter and a guy off the street or just into the building as the No. 2?
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Keeler: Stidham vs. Ehlinger doesn’t feel like a fair fight. The latter needs more preseason snaps, and Payton’s playing time so far feels as if he’s got a thumb on the scale. It also feels as if Stiddy’s got a job for the same reason Zeke Nnaji is still a Nugget — he’s too expensive to move. But Super Bowl windows with a cost-controlled star QB don’t last forever, and the time is now. I’m ringing up Jerry Jones about Milton — career NFL sacks taken: zero in five appearances — to see if he’d like to swap backups.
Gabriel: That would be fun. From here, I’ll say the Broncos keep Stiddy and Ehlinger through 2026 and then try to identify a Milton-esque young, developmental player to add to the room for 2027 — potential Bo Nix extension season, as it happens — and beyond.
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