Rookie Bo Nix will start at quarterback for the Denver Broncos when they open the regular season on the road against the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 8, coach Sean Payton announced Wednesday.
The move was widely expected after Nix’s impressive preseason start against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday when he completed 8-of-9 passes for 80 yards and a touchdown. That performance capped an impressive offseason for the No. 12 pick, who surged ahead in a competition against veteran Jarrett Stidham and trade acquisition Zach Wilson across the past two weeks. Payton resisted calls to name Nix the starter after a promising preseason debut in Indianapolis on Aug. 11 — Nix completed 15-of-21 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown — but it became clear then that the announcement would be merely a formality.
Nix has made clear progress since the start of training camp, creating a swelling of optimism among fans and teammates alike about his readiness to guide the Broncos.
“To see him come in and handle what he’s handled so far, it’s been really fun to see him do his thing,” Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton said of Nix. “I’m excited for him. He’s handling these early couple games of preseason success really well, but he’s not letting it go to his head. He’s taking it in stride.
“‘What else can I get better at?’ ‘What else can we get better at?’ ‘We like this route, we like this, but let’s try and do it like this next time and we might be able to get more yards and take it to another level.’ To have a young guy like that, to be that hungry and not complacent is really encouraging.”
Nix will become the Broncos’ first rookie quarterback to start a Week 1 game since John Elway in 1983 and the first rookie to start any game for Denver since 2019. He will also become the first rookie quarterback to start an opener for Payton during his 17 seasons as a coach.
Sean Payton was 𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜.
QBs were flying off the board during the 2024 NFL Draft. And Payton had his eye on Bo Nix.
Inside the story of how the Broncos secured their projected franchise cornerstone, with @DMRussini and @ChaseDaniel.
🎧 https://t.co/sfVIzfD9ax pic.twitter.com/uiea0OcyEd
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) August 20, 2024
Nix earned the rare distinction by demonstrating a poise born of extensive experience.
He started an FBS-record 61 games across five seasons as a college starting quarterback at Auburn and Oregon. Nix became a starting varsity quarterback at Scottsboro High School in Alabama as an eighth grader and later won two state championships at Pinson Valley High School. The common refrain from those who have coached Nix and played alongside the 24-year-old is that it hasn’t felt like they were watching a rookie compete. The rookie has dropped back 34 times in the preseason without being sacked. He hasn’t turned the ball over in a game and has only thrown one interception in training camp during 11-on-11 sessions.
“He has a very unique combination of humility and confidence that goes a long way for his position and certainly as a rookie stepping in here with a lot of pressure on himself,” veteran right tackle Mike McGlinchey said. “He’s taken that in stride and there’s no fear of competition and there’s no fear of getting out there and going for it. That certainly has shown in the way that he’s progressed all of camp.”
The Broncos released Russell Wilson in March after just two seasons in Denver, taking on an $85 million dead-money hit across two seasons in the process. Nix, both financially as a starter on a rookie contract and by way of his performance, offers the Broncos a chance to quickly emerge from the failed experiment with Wilson. He will become the Broncos’ seventh Week 1 starter in the past nine seasons, and there is hope he can become the one who finally jams a wrench into a quarterback carousel that has been spinning for the Broncos since Peyton Manning retired in 2016.
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All signs pointed to Nix
Because of the competition (Stidham and Wilson) and his experience (61 college starts), it would have been surprising if Nix wasn’t named the season-opening starter. So far in the preseason, Nix has looked like the same player we saw at Oregon — a mobile quarterback who shines in the quick game and understands where to go with the football to sustain drives. But the true test of his development will come against NFL regular season defenses that take away the quick options and force him to read things out from the pocket.
One of the main concerns with Nix’s college tape came when his eyes would speed up on him versus pressure, leading to frantic decisions. But Payton is one of the best at understanding his quarterback and simplifying things for him, which gives this marriage a chance to make it past the honeymoon stage. — Dane Brugler, NFL Draft analyst
Required reading
(Photo: Jamie Schwaberow / Getty Images)
