Starting Sunday, football will begin for the Denver Broncos every week, sans the bye week, for the next six months. The first three games won’t count but will give the team, the fans, and the rest of the NFL the best idea of what the 2024 Denver Broncos will look like. It will be the second season for Head Coach Sean Payton. Still, the first will be with his stamp of approval on the team’s core, precisely the quarterback position. Payton ended the Russell Wilson era two seasons into its existence. An acquisition that drained the Broncos both financially and ransomed the future of the organization’s draft picks.

With the first preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts, the first quarterback to start will have the inside track to become the starter at the beginning of the season. It will be his position to win, but he must have superior play over the two competing quarterbacks. Conversely, the two backups must have flawless play to override the starter. Mistakes in the form of interceptions, lack of grasping the offensive playbook, and not leading the team on the field will all contribute to the success, failure, and, ultimately, the release of one of the three.

Payton did not disclose who the starting quarterback will be by midweek but was expected to be released in the second half of the week. The Broncos did reveal a tentative depth chart roster in advance of the game, and it will likely be the roster used in the first game of the preseason. The starting quarterback on the first depth chart is Jarrett Stidham. He started the last two games of the 2023 season and is the only quarterback with experience with the Broncos.      

“I’m not getting too caught up in what’s down the road, necessarily,” Stidham said. “I kind of just focus on ‘All right, what am I asked to do today during practice and this afternoon in the film room, in the meeting room?’ That sort of thing. OK, tomorrow, what am I asked to do? Go out there and execute at the highest level and take it day by day. If you get caught up in the past or the future, you kind of get caught up in the blender. I don’t do that, and I just focus on every single day.”

Second on the depth chart is Zach Wilson. Drafted as the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft by the New York Jets, Wilson did not live up to expectations as a number two pick and was considered a bust. In favor of Wilson, he has the most starting experience of the three quarterbacks on the roster.

“I think when you really sit down and think about it, I’ve got no control over that,” Wilson said about the position he practices in the rotation. “… I think the worst you can do is let it affect you, so the best you can do is just say, ‘OK, I’m going to take what I get and go out there and do the best I can and put my best foot forward and try my best and try to help this team do the best it can getting down the field and complete some passes.’ I think that’s all you’ve got to worry about. Just go out there and get the ball out of my hands [and] let the playmakers that we have go make some plays,” said Wilson of what he’ll look to accomplish vs. the Colts.

Last on the unofficial depth chart is rookie quarterback Bo Nix, the Broncos’ first-round draft pick in May. Although Nix is the only quarterback with no NFL experience, he is expected to be the franchise’s future at the quarterback position. With the Broncos expected to have only two quarterbacks on the final 53-man roster, Nix, although last on the depth chart, is not likely to be cut from the team. Knowing that he is last on the depth chart, Nix wasn’t bothered by his placement.

“One, it’s not looking at it, not seeing what everybody says, and not trying to go out there and find it,” Nix said. “At the end of the day, nobody has a higher expectation than myself. Nobody has a higher standard for how I play than me. That’s the most important thing.

“You’re not falling back on those who are just seeing parts of it. You’re truly internally challenging yourself and trying to be the best that you can be. Most of the time, they can see a throw and they may know about 25 percent of what actually was going [on] in that throw. I don’t necessarily want to put too much into the outside noise and just continue to play my game. I think I learned along the way you’re going to miss one — often. You’ve just got to move on, and I feel like I’ve been better at moving on and just not letting it bother me and affect the next play.”

Other notable positions on the depth chart include wide receiver Tim Patrick joining Courtland Sutton as the number one and two starting wide receivers. Marvin Mims, Jr. and Josh Reynolds are the third and fourth on the comprehensive receiver depth chart.

The Broncos have seven running backs on the depth chart, with Javonte Williams the No.1 and Samaje Perine the No. 2. Jaleel McLaughlin checks in at No. 3, followed by Tyler Badie, Audric Estime, and Blake Watson.

The Broncos announced the schedule for their new uniforms, which will premiere on Sundays in their preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts. The Broncos recently revealed their first set of new uniforms since 1997, and the Mile High Collection will soon be on display during the 2024 season. Denver will begin the season by wearing its Summit White jerseys in all three preseason games and the first two regular-season games. The Broncos will then don their Sunset Orange jerseys for the first time in a Week 3 road meeting with the Buccaneers.

Denver will wear its primary orange jerseys at home for the first time in Week 6 against the Chargers. The Broncos previously announced the team will wear its 1977-inspired throwback uniform twice this season. Denver will debut the throwback jerseys during Alumni Weekend in Week 5 against the Raiders, and the team will wear the jerseys again in Week 18 against the Chiefs. The Broncos will wear their white jerseys in their first prime-time matchup of the season as they visit the Saints for “Thursday Night Football” in Week 7. The team will then wear its Midnight Navy alternate jerseys and white helmets for the first time for a Week 13 “Monday Night Football” matchup with the Browns. Teams can wear their throwback and alternate jerseys three times a season.

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