For just a few moments, put yourself in the shoes of Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead.
Your quarterback, 37-year-old Matthew Stafford, has yet to practice in training camp because of ongoing back issues. In order to get completely healed, you realize the best thing for Stafford might be to start the season on injured reserve -- meaning he won't be available until Week 5 at the soonest.
If you're Snead, you know the rest of your roster is pretty well put together. You know if Stafford comes back healthy and you've managed to go .500 over those first 4 games without him, the Rams will have a chance to be one of the best teams in the NFC by the end of the year.
You know your backup quarterbacks, Jimmy Garoppolo and Stetson Bennett, almost guarantee you won't be .500.
Over in the AFC West, there's a quarterback who almost guarantees you would in Denver Broncos backup Jarrett Stidham, who has looked like a full time starter for the last few years and saw his trade value skyrocket after a sparkling performance in the preseason opener.
If you're Snead, how much would you be willing to pay to save the season for the Rams? If it's a third round pick, that might be almost impossible to pass up for Denver -- and the Rams might not be the only suitor.
"The Rams may not have a healthy Matthew Stafford until Week 1, and his return to practice has been delayed for weeks," Predominantly Orange's Mark Powell wrote on August 12. "As for the Packers, Jordan Love underwent thumb surgery and should be back for Week 1. However, Malik Willis and Sean Clifford don't inspire much confidence behind Love. Stidham, at this point in his career, is not a long-term answer for any contending team. Yet, one injury to a starting QB around the league could change everything."
It begs the question -- how important do the Broncos think Stidham is to their own playoff hopes?
Denver made Stidham one of the NFL's highest paid backup quarterbacks with a 2-year, $12 million contract in March.
For Stidham, it means another season behind second year quarterback Bo Nix, who had to beat Stidham out for the job last season then led Denver to a 10-7 record and their first playoff appearance since 2015.
The Broncos were in a similar situation in the preseason last year when both Stidham and Zach Wilson -- Nix's 2 backups -- both played well in the preseason and set off trade buzz that didn't stop until after the trade deadline.
Wilson, who was the third string quarterback all year, cashed in with a 1-year, $6 million contract to be the backup for Tua Tagovailoa on the Miami Dolphins in 2025.
In the Broncos' 30-9 preseason opener win over the San Francisco 49ers, Stidham played just 2 quarters of action -- 14-of-15 passing for 136 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions to go with 3 carries for 36 yards.
"It's good for us to just get out there and play together and put up some points," Stidham told 9 News Denver. "(When I'm running) it's more like just trying get down and not make a mistake."