The Denver Broncos' backup quarterback competition is on.

With starting quarterback Bo Nix (ankle) still recovering and sidelined at organized team activities, there are more reps available for Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger. Stidham served as the team's QB2 in 2025 and Ehlinger was QB3, but coach Sean Payton said at the NFL's annual league meeting this spring that Stidham and Ehlinger will battle for QB2 duties this summer.

Ehlinger appears to be off to a strong start. Ehlinger "looked better" than Stidham during Thursday's practice that was open to media members, according to the Denver Gazette's Chris Tomasson.

Payton's not going to answer daily questions about the Stidham vs. Ehlinger battle, but he did acknowledge that Ehlinger seems to have taken a step forward going into his second season in the offense.

"I think considerably," Payton said when asked how much deeper Ehlinger's command of the offense is. "Good question. Today, there were a handful of plays, maybe a year ago at this time from a terminology standpoint or just the rhythm [that wasn't there in 2025]. But I definitely feel like you can see that, and that’s encouraging.”

The QB2 competition will really start to heat up when training camp and preseason begin later this summer. The Broncos are set to play three games in August before setting their 53-man roster. Stidham and Ehlinger probably aren't in danger of getting cut, but Denver might consider listening to trade offers for one of them this summer. With Nix coming back from an injury, the Broncos need to get the backup quarterback choice right ahead of the 2026 campaign. May the best QB win.

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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Denver Broncos: Sam Ehlinger enters backup quarterback competition