Zach Wilson has been energized by Broncos experience. But what comes next? (2024)

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Zach Wilson was zooming along an upward trajectory during Denver Broncos training camp when he smacked into a 261-pound roadblock.

The Broncos quarterback was sacked in his own end zone by Green Bay Packers defensive end Zach Morton late in the third quarter of the teams’ preseason game Sunday, and Wilson’s night didn’t get much better from there. He was 2-of-6 passing for 29 yards and was sacked twice. Though he did throw a screen pass to running back Tyler Badie that turned into a 7-yard touchdown, Wilson generally didn’t move an offense full of Broncos reserves as efficiently as he had in Indianapolis one week earlier. He wasn’t as sharp as he had been during the prior two weeks of training camp practices, including efficiently using his limited snaps in a joint practice against the Packers.

“I missed some easy ones, just kind of felt out of rhythm a bit,” Wilson said after the game, his disappointment in the performance evident. “You go three-and-out, penalty, negative play, take a sack. Those things don’t help. … I have to find a way to start better.”

In Wilson’s uneven performance, though, Broncos coaches saw an opportunity. Wilson had been making clear and substantial strides for weeks as he grew more comfortable with the offense and forged a stronger connection with the team’s receivers. Now, he had quite literally been slammed to the turf. How would he respond?

Wilson did so emphatically Wednesday. On one rep after another, He laced on-target darts to his receivers. On a day devoted to red zone work, the 24-year-old found the end zone repeatedly, delivering the ball from all angles, from the pocket and off-platform. Broncos coach Sean Payton described it as a “heater” for Wilson as he showed off the arm that helped convince the New York Jets to make him the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. The day belonged to Bo Nix, who was officially named the team’s starting quarterback after practice, but it was Wilson who had coaches shaking their heads afterward. His practice Thursday featured more of the same, his big arm merging with an increased understanding of the offense to produce some highlight-reel results.

“(Wilson) really made half a dozen throws that are really impressive and surprising — that (made coaches) all look at each other after he threw it,” offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said of Wilson’s practices this week. “I think he throws the ball really well and I think (there is) consistency of how he throws the football. As he gets more comfortable with the receivers and what we’re doing, his accuracy has really improved. I think he was disappointed in the game he had on Sunday, but, man, he’s had two outstanding practices since that game.”

The Broncos have been impressed with how Wilson has adjusted to everything thrown his way since arriving in April after a trade with the Jets. After splitting first-team reps with Nix and Jarrett Stidham during the offseason program, Wilson got only one practice with the top offense in training camp before he was dropped into a role as mostly the third-team quarterback. Payton explained the move as a reaction to a math problem.

“It’s hard to rotate three of them through the first group,” he said.

It was clear Wilson wasn’t in the competition to start for the Broncos. Instead, he was headed for the year of learning he was supposed to have behind Aaron Rodgers in New York last season. That plan, of course, went awry four plays into the season when Rodgers suffered a torn Achilles. Wilson was suddenly jolted back into the starting role. He went 4-7 in 11 starts and threw only eight touchdown passes, struggling in a Nathaniel Hackett offense built for Rodgers. By season’s end, following three turbulent years, it was clear both sides were ready for a fresh start.

“I feel like you learn the most when things are not going the best,” Wilson said upon arriving in Denver. “You bank those reps and you learn from them. In three years of things being challenging, you’re going to learn a lot of things. Hopefully, I can keep carrying those (lessons) with me.”

In Denver, Wilson has formed a fast bond with a position coach who can relate to much of what Wilson experienced in New York. Davis Webb, in his second season as the Broncos’ quarterbacks coach, was a third-round pick of the New York Giants in 2017. Backing up Eli Manning — then spending time on the Jets himself as a practice squad player — Davis learned fast lessons about life under the microscope of the league’s largest media market. He also empathized with the challenge of shuffling through numerous coordinators and play callers, as Wilson did in New York. Those experiences informed how Davis wanted to approach working with Wilson. Namely, he vowed not to carry any preconceived notions about what Wilson could and couldn’t be as a quarterback.

Wilson credited Webb with getting him to a place where he is “absolutely having fun playing ball.”

“For somebody that just got into coaching recently, I think he does a phenomenal job,” Wilson said. “He does a great job of how he commands his meeting rooms and goes through every little thing. Of course the element of he’s played the position before I think goes a long way. I really enjoy that he’s played the position.”

This is the time on the NFL calendar, though, that tests harmony. Wilson has felt rejuvenated in Denver. Broncos coaches have been encouraged by the 24-year-old’s growth since the start of the offseason program. Payton has been particularly pleased with how Wilson has demonstrated a willingness to push the ball down the field while still largely keeping the ball out of harm’s way. But what’s the end game? Wilson is in the final year of his contract. The same goes for Stidham. Payton has said it’s “a possibility” all three quarterbacks will remain on Denver’s roster when cuts come down Tuesday. But Saturday’s preseason finale against the Arizona Cardinals could also allow Wilson to show he should be viewed as something more than a guy attending quarterback grad school behind the scenes.

The Broncos would save $5 million by cutting Stidham, thus making Wilson the backup to Nix. As the rookie said Wednesday, QB2 is only “a play away” from becoming QB1 at any given time. So it could come down to a philosophical question for Payton: Does he prefer Stidham’s experience in the offense and his ability to be “a great resource” for Nix? Or does he believe Wilson’s superior pure talent is better to have behind the rookie?

Payton would not say Wednesday how quarterback reps would be divided. Russell Wilson, Denver’s starting quarterback last season, didn’t play in the preseason finale. The same will likely be true for Nix. Payton did allow that he would like Wilson to get “some more (reps) with the group ahead” after mostly guiding the third team in the preseason. Either way, Wilson figures to be in for another significant audition Sunday. It will be another chance to point his arrow up toward a positive next chapter in the NFL.

Nix might have been named the starter, but the quarterback intrigue in Denver hasn’t ended yet.

(Photo: Ron Chenoy / USA Today)

Nick Kosmider is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Denver Broncos. He previously covered the Denver Nuggets for The Athletic after spending five years at the Denver Post, where he covered the city’s professional sports scene. His other stops include The Arizona Republic and MLB.com. Follow Nick on Twitter @NickKosmider