National Football League

Will Broncos rookie Bo Nix be QB1 by season opener against Seahawks?

Published Aug. 7, 2024 8:35 a.m. ET

Bo Nix has been with the Broncos for only a few months, but he's already made a strong impression on his teammates.

His poise is one reason why. It's a byproduct of entering the NFL as the most seasoned quarterback prospect ever, one with an NCAA-record 61 career starts.

According to Denver tight end Adam Trautman, the 24-year-old NIx's experience comes across on the field.

"You see it in the way he commands a huddle and the way he steps up into the pocket where he can find his voids," Trautman told SI.com. "That's an experience thing. A lot of guys coming out might not have that because they played in like 20 or 30 games [in college]."

But will Nix's poise and experience be enough to make him Denver's QB1 for the regular-season opener at Seattle?

That's the big question as the Broncos start preseason play Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. The quarterback competition between Nix, veteran incumbent Jarrett Stidham and former Jets No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson — who were all splitting first-team reps as recently as the first week of training camp — has reportedly been whittled down to the former two.

Team observers have speculated that Nix has started to edge Stidham, but coach Sean Payton has made no official announcement. In fact, he has set no formal timetable to make the call on his QB1.

On the Broncos' first unofficial depth chart released Tuesday, Nix was listed as the third-string QB, with Stidham and Wilson as the starter and top backup, respectively.

As the 12th overall pick, though, Nix is seen as the Broncos' hopeful franchise quarterback.

It's a matter of when, not if, he'll become the starter in 2024.

"I don't know if I have a choice on that one. If I want to stick around, I better accept it," Nix said when asked if he'd be prepared to be the backup. "But I also don't necessarily want to become complacent and say, 'You know what, it's my rookie year, I'm OK with sitting back and learning.'

"They'll play me when I'm ready, so I'm going to do my best to get ready."

Denver released Russell Wilson in March, less than two years after trading for and extending the veteran to a mammoth five-year, $245 million contract. That debacle officially thrust the franchise back into quarterback purgatory.

Since Peyton Manning retired after the 2015 season, when Denver beat the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50, the Broncos have had 12 different quarterbacks — 13 players overall — open a game under center. They've missed the playoffs for eight consecutive years.

Dan Lanning: Why Bo Nix will make a smooth transition to NFL

The hope is that fortunes change with Nix, the first rookie first-round quarterback Payton has had in 18 seasons as a head coach.

After three up and down seasons at Auburn, Nix emerged as one of college football's top quarterbacks the past two years at Oregon. He completed 77.4% of his passes for 4,508 yards and 45 touchdowns against just three interceptions for the Ducks in 2023.

Payton has been complimentary of Nix's ability to evade pressure. He took just 12 sacks in his last two college seasons combined.

"You see pretty good pocket sense," Payton told local reporters. "He doesn't take a lot of sacks. I think he knows when the play's over, time to go. And then I think he can make plays when he's going. I used to say all the time that the sack numbers are more a reflection on the quarterback than the offensive line. … [Drew] Brees was one of those guys. He was a tough sack. The ball came out, and I think Bo has traits like that."

Trautman has noticed that the rookie isn't afraid to take shots downfield, either.

"He's willing to take the — I don't want to say take the risk — but he's willing to do it," Trautman said. "I think that also obviously comes with experience. He's seen all these windows because of how much he has played."

Of the Broncos' three quarterbacks, the 27-year-old Stidham is the most versed in Payton's playbook, as he was in Denver last season. He started the final two games last season after Wilson's benching. Among the current group, Stidham has also been in the NFL the longest (2019-present).

The 25-year-old Wilson, though, has started the most games (33 compared to Stidham's four). After three tumultuous seasons with the Jets, Wilson is a low-risk, high-reward reclamation project for the Broncos.

Then there's Nix, the first-round rookie touted as the future.

"You owe it to respect the other guys in the competition, too," Nix said. "They also want to be the starter, and they also are going to have to accept [Payton's decision]. Whatever they decide, that's what we're going with.''

The Nix era awaits either way.

Ben Arthur is the AFC South reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.

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