What Zach Wilson — and Sean Payton — said about his second chance in Denver

Zach Wilson hasn’t been in Denver very long, but the quarterback has already earned praise from his new head coach.

In April, Wilson was traded by the New York Jets to the Denver Broncos and what has since become a crowded quarterback room.

The former second overall pick joined returning quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who started the Broncos’ final two games last season after Russell Wilson was benched. Denver then drafted Oregon quarterback Bo Nix with the 12th overall pick in last month’s draft.

What has Sean Payton said about Zach Wilson and Denver’s quarterbacks?

On Thursday, Sean Payton said all three quarterbacks will and have split reps with the starters during OTAs.

Stidham took the first-team reps on Tuesday, Wilson took them on Wednesday and Nix took them Thursday.

“There’s going to be a time when you read into the reps, I don’t think it’s early in OTAs,” Payton said, according to The Associated Press.

Payton sounded impressed by what he saw from each of his quarterbacks after the end of the first week of OTAs.

“They’re all in a race to learn this system,” he said. “Man, they’re doing well.”

The Broncos’ quarterback room is filled with players looking for a new beginning and the opportunity for a fresh start as an NFL starting quarterback.

“You know, it’s kind of the orphan group,” Payton said. “They’re all orphan dogs. They come from somewhere. But they’re doing good.”

Zach Wilson can see the logic in his coach’s dog metaphor.

“It’s been three years of tough challenges,” he said. “But in the end that’s what makes you stronger, and you just need somebody to believe in you and believe in yourself.”

What has Zach Wilson said about his trade to the Broncos?

Wilson told reporters Thursday that he misses his former Jets teammates but is looking forward to starting a new chapter of his career with the Broncos.

“You know, obviously, there’s bittersweet moments in everything. I was grateful for my experiences (in New York) and the guys. I miss the guys out there and everything, too. But at the same time, a fresh start is good,” he said, per the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson. “I’m excited to attack a new challenge.”

He’s also excited to learn from Payton, who was the head coach of the New Orleans Saints for 15 seasons and won a Super Bowl with the Saints prior to becoming the head coach in Denver.

“I loved watching him and Drew (Brees) back in the day and just the efficiency they played with, how consistent it was, how explosive they were as an offense and just taking what the defense gives you,” he told Tomasson. “(I’m) just looking to keep growing and learning every single day from him.”

The Broncos have been looking for their franchise quarterback since Hall of Famer Peyton Manning retired. Manning was the last quarterback to lead Denver to the playoffs, which was the season they went on to win the Super Bowl. He reached out to Wilson upon his trade to Denver, according to The Associated Press.

“I’ve grown up watching him and the way he plays the game, the way he attacks it every single day,” Wilson said of Manning. “He’s a legend out here. So, hopefully I can spend a little time picking his brain.”