Plenty of eyes will be on Bo Nix when the Broncos begin organized team activities Tuesday even if he’s standing on the sideline.

But Denver’s other quarterbacks also will be well worth watching.

Nix isn’t expected to be a full participant at the start of OTAs at Broncos Park after he suffered a broken right ankle in a Jan. 17 playoff game against Buffalo and had surgery Jan. 20 and a cleanup procedure in late April. But Denver coach Sean Payton said on May 9 Nix “probably” will be ready for a June 16-18 mandatory minicamp and will be at “full speed” for the start of training camp in late July.

Meanwhile, quarterbacks Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger will get plenty of reps as the Broncos have OTAs Tuesday through Thursday, June 9-11, and then the mandatory minicamp. Could there be a battle between the two for the backup job? That is among six key questions facing the Broncos as they take the field for spring drills:

1. Could Sam Ehlinger unseat Jarrett Stidham as Bo Nix’s backup?

When asked at the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix on March 31 if there will be competition for the backup job, Payton said, “We see competition. … There’s nothing that is etched in stone.”

Stidham has been Denver’s backup the last three seasons, the past two behind Nix. But when Nix was lost after the Broncos’ dramatic 33-30 overtime win over the Bills, Stidham mostly struggled while replacing him in the AFC Championship Game against New England. In a 10-7 loss, Stidham completed 17 of 31 passes for 133 yards with a touchdown and an interception and had a pivotal lost fumble when he panicked while trying to throw the ball away.

Meanwhile, Ehlinger has remained loyal to the Broncos after spending most of last season on the practice squad, which included turning down multiple offers to join a 53-man roster elsewhere. Ehlinger, who did start three games while playing for Indianapolis from 2021-24, re-signed with the Broncos in March on a one-year, $2 million deal with $1 million guaranteed.

Stidham is on the books to make $5.999 million this season, with $2 million guaranteed. If Ehlinger were to win the backup job, would the Broncos release Stidham and find a young quarterback for the practice squad? If he were to be let go, the Broncos would save $4.5 million on the salary cap and have $3.5 million of dead money.

2. Will Jaylen Waddle immediately be as good as advertised?

The Broncos’ biggest move of the offseason was the acquisition of wide receiver Jaylen Waddle from Miami, and the price was steep. The Broncos gave up first- and third-round draft picks while also exchanging selections in the fourth round, getting a more favorable one.

In five seasons with the Dolphins, Waddle caught 373 passes for 5,039 yards and 26 touchdowns. He can start showing his stuff on the field with the Broncos this week.

Will Waddle supplant Courtland Sutton as Denver’s No. 1 receiver? Payton said he doesn’t pay attention to such things, but it remains to be seen if either might end up in 2026 with significantly more targets than the other.

3. Will any rookies get in position to make an immediate impact?

With the Broncos having a deep roster and having had no picks in the first two rounds of the draft, it remains to be seen if any rookies will get significant playing time in 2026. More will be known after spring drills.

Having the best chances to make an immediate impact are defensive tackle Tyler Onyedim, a third-round pick from Texas A&M; running back Jonah Coleman, a fourth-round selection from Washington; and tight end Justin Joly, a fifth-round pick from North Carolina State.

Payton has said Onyedim could compete for the starting spot vacated by John Franklin-Myers. Coleman will look to battle RJ Harvey for carries behind starter J.K. Dobbins. And Joly, if he progresses well, could elevate Denver’s tight end group, which is below average by NFL standards.

Also, Miles Scott, a seventh-round pick from Illinois, has a shot to earn time at safety, with the Broncos having lost top reserve and former starter P.J. Locke in free agency.

4. Where will the Broncos turn to replace John Franklin-Myers’ 7.5 sacks?

Franklin-Myers signed as a free agent with Tennessee after two productive seasons with the Broncos, having seven sacks in 2024 and a career-high 7.5 in 2025. Who will replace him on the defensive line?

Onyedim will get a look. So will Sai’vion Jones, a third-round pick in 2025 who played sparingly as a rookie. The favorite might be Eyioma Uwazurike, who after serving a one-year NFL suspension in 2023 for gambling violations and trying to get back in the groove in 2024, took a big step in 2025. He had 39 tackles, including 3.5 sacks.

The Broncos are set with their other two spots on the line with nose tackle D.J. Jones and Zach Allen, a first-team All-Pro selection in 2025. The top reserve on the line has been Malcolm Roach, who might remain in that role due to his ability to play multiple spots.

5. How will Jonah Elliss look at inside linebacker?

After the Broncos re-signed Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad in March to be their starting inside linebackers, they released Dre Greenlaw with a post-June 1 designation. Payton then said that Jonah Elliss will get some work at inside linebacker after playing on the outside his first two seasons.

Elliss will look to duplicate the success at inside linebacker his brothers have had. Kaden is a New Orleans stalwart, and Christian is a solid contributor for the Patriots.

Elliss could emerge as the top reserve behind Singleton and Strnad. The Broncos also have young inside linebackers Karene Reid, Jordan Turner and Levelle Bailey and rookies Red Murdock and Taurean York.

Greenlaw, who couldn’t stay healthy in his one year with Denver, re-signed with San Francisco, for whom he played from 2019-24. His post-June 1 cut means the Broncos on Tuesday officially will get $2.167 million additional cap room than if he had been a standard cut in March. That makes it a cap savings of $8.19 million on Greenlaw for 2026. They will incur $2.167 million of dead money for him in both 2026 and 2027.

6. What about the competition at cornerback?

The Broncos re-signed Ja’Quan McMillian as a restricted free agent to a one-year, $5.767 million contract, meaning they still have three cornerbacks in the mix for two primary spots.

McMillian last year beat out rookie Jahdae Barron to remain the slot cornerback for a third straight season, but the 2025 first-round pick will enter OTAs looking for increased playing time in 2026.

Assuming McMillian remains the primary nickel back, Barron could challenge Riley Moss to be a starter at outside cornerback. Moss has been a starter the past two seasons opposite star Pat Surtain II but has had his ups and downs.

Briefly

A source said Monday that offensive lineman Nick Gargiulo won’t participate in Broncos spring drills. He is continuing to rehab from a torn right ACL suffered in an Aug. 16, 2025 preseason game against Arizona. … Minnesota officially announced the hiring of Nolan Teasley as general manager after he had been Seattle’s assistant general manager. Denver assistant general manager Reed Burckhardt had been one of the five finalists for the job.