Zach Wilson may be headed back to the bench.
The Broncos skipped Wilson’s turn with the starters Tuesday during training camp in an ominous development for the former No. 2 pick’s chances to be the team’s starter, per ESPN.
Denver head coach Sean Payton said, “We’ll see,” when asked if Wilson would have further chances to practice with the first-stringers.
Those reps have instead gone to first-round pick Bo Nix and veteran Jarrett Stidham.
“Look, we’ve got a plan,” Payton said, per the outlet. “Bo ran with the 1s (Monday), Zach with the 2s; today, it was (Stidham) with the 1s. No news to announce there. I know you’re looking for it, but …”
It’s seemingly not a good sign for Wilson that the calendar hasn’t even turned to August yet and the Broncos apparently may be eliminating him from their quarterback competition — especially one where it seemed there may be a viable opening for Wilson in the short term.
While Nix is seen as the future of the team, there are some questions about his readiness to immediately start. Stidham has been largely unproductive in 16 career games.
Wilson is the most accomplished of the three.
The three had been following a rotation program that had been utilized in the team’s offseason program and the first week of camp, per ESPN, before Payton made the noticeable shift this week.
Stidham instead ran with the 1s on Tuesday, while Nix worked with the second-string offense and Wilson found himself with the third-string options.
Payton has not revealed when he plans to announce who will start the team’s opener on the road against the Seahawks on Sept. 9, but these early tea leaves make it seem like a two-man race.
Wilson joined the Broncos via trade this offseason after three mediocre seasons with the Jets that included 23 touchdowns to 25 interceptions in 34 career games.