The Denver Broncos held a rookie minicamp over the weekend, bringing in two quarterbacks for a tryout: veteran Nathan Peterman and rookie E.J. Warner. Despite positive feedback from head coach Sean Payton, neither signal-caller was signed to the team. It's a reminder that in the NFL, tryouts can be a tough audition—even when you earn praise from the coaching staff.

Payton had encouraging words for both players after Saturday's practice. "Overall, both quarterbacks have done a good job," he said. "When you get a bunch of this offense, and they've been in different systems... they've both done a really good job." He noted that Peterman's experience and Warner's youth brought different strengths, and both handled the challenge of learning a new playbook on the fly. "There's nothing that can slow a practice down more than a quarterback that can't get in and out of the huddle. Those two have done a great job."

Meanwhile, the Broncos' quarterback room is shaping up for the summer. Payton provided a positive update on starter Bo Nix, who is recovering from an ankle injury. Nix is expected to be fully ready for training camp later this summer. Even if he misses organized team activities (OTAs) in early June, Payton is confident in the depth behind him. "Generally with those practices, two [QBs] is not a problem," he explained. "It would be more of an issue if you felt a player was going to be a PUP in training camp, and that's not going to be the case [with Nix]."

So as the Broncos gear up for OTAs with Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger handling the spring workload, Peterman and Warner will look for opportunities elsewhere. It's a tough break for the tryout duo, but in the NFL, every audition is a step forward—and you never know when the next call might come.