Broncos haven’t decided yet on starting QB for preseason opener

The tasty update Sean Payton teased on Wednesday was not to be on Thursday.

After Payton indicated he and his staff would talk over personnel decisions — presumably including a starting quarterback — Wednesday evening for Denver’s first preseason game, no such conversation occurred, according to offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi.

“I think we’re gonna talk this afternoon and then solidify that,” he said, right around noon.

Keep on waiting.

Rookie Bo Nix, returning backup Jarrett Stidham and trade acquisition Zach Wilson are contending for quarterback reps at training camp, with Nix and Stidham taking the majority of first-team snaps. Denver’s preseason opener Sunday at the Colts will be fans’ first chance to evaluate the candidates in game action, making it a landmark moment in the QB competition. The decision of which player will lead the Broncos onto the field, then, is regarded with equal gravitas, at least externally.

Lombardi did offer insight into Nix’s development throughout camp when he spoke with reporters, even if there was no official update to provide at the time.

“He’s really instinctive, so playing football has been good from the jump. So it’s just getting the huddle calls, some of the checks at the line of scrimmage,” the offensive coordinator said. “The more you see that, the better you get. And he’s just getting more comfortable.

“We had a pretty good install the last three days, and so he’s had to restart some of that, but he’s everything that you hope for, just with his intelligence and the way that he studies and prepares. It’s really just the comfort level. When you give him a play and it’s new and the defense has a new install, there’s a little bit of — not as much confidence when he gets it and you look in his eyes. And then after a couple days when you’re running the same plays, you just feel like he’s a veteran.”

Change or no change? What Joseph said

Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph downplayed players’ assessments that Denver’s defense is more aggressive up front than it was in 2023.

“We haven’t changed a lot from last year,” Joseph said, shrugging when asked to pinpoint a moment of strategic epiphany this offseason. “I think how we’re coaching certain things obviously makes a difference. Every year it changes, scheme-wise. It’s about the players you have and fitting the scheme to your players. So those things have changed, but I won’t share a lot. … But obviously it’s a different group, different team, so things have changed.”

Ben Kotwica highlights punters

A silver lining for a rebuilding team: If the Broncos are going to be punting a lot this season, it sure sounds like they’re well-equipped to do so, based on effusive praise from special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica.