‘He has all the starting traits in the world’: Broncos GM heaps praise on Zach Wilson

Zach Wilson didn’t win the starting quarterback battle in Denver, but that doesn’t mean team leaders think he’ll be a backup for the rest of his career.

George Paton, the general manager of the Denver Broncos, told reporters Wednesday that Wilson has “starter tools all over” and a great personality.

“He has all the traits. He has all the starting traits in the world,” he said, per NFL.com .

Paton added that the former BYU quarterback does have “some things” to work through but is already making progress.

“He’s smart and he’s a great kid. ... I do think he will be a starter in this league,” the Broncos GM said.

Broncos quarterbacks

Wilson, who is entering his fourth year in the NFL, was traded by the New York Jets to the Broncos in April, as the Deseret News previously reported.

In Denver, the former Cougar had the opportunity to compete for the starting job. His competitors were Jarrett Stidham, who started a few games for the Broncos last season, and 2024 NFL draft pick Bo Nix .

Nix was ultimately named the starter earlier this month, but Denver decided to keep both Wilson and Stidham in the quarterbacks room.

All three quarterbacks showed flashes of greatness during the preseason.

“I thought the competition brought out the best in really all of the quarterbacks. All these guys support each other, they compete and they work well together. ... We’re glad to have all three,” Paton said Tuesday.

Zach Wilson praise

During his press conference Tuesday, Paton praised not just Wilson’s recent performance on the field, but also his brain.

“We knew Zach was really talented,” the Broncos GM said. “We didn’t know the person. We love the day-to-day with Zach and we love the person. He’s smart and (has) all the intangibles.”