DENVER — Go ahead and take your time with that quarterback announcement, Sean Payton. It’s a formality at this point, anyway.
Rookie Bo Nix will start at quarterback for the Denver Broncos when they visit the Seattle Seahawks to open the regular season Sept. 8. There’s no other conclusion to draw after Nix capped his training camp surge of the past two-plus weeks with a near-perfect performance in Sunday’s 27-2 preseason victory against the Green Bay Packers. There’s no other choice for Payton, the Broncos’ second-year head coach, to possibly make.
“Listen, he’s played well,” Payton said of Nix. “I’m not announcing any starting quarterback tonight. I’ll let you guys know. I thought he was sharp, obviously.”
Nix on Sunday completed 8 of 9 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown. He rushed three times for another 12 yards. His night was done after he threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Tim Patrick at the end of the second quarter. The throw, a quick-decision strike on the run off a play-action fake, came at the end of Nix’s seventh preseason drive. The rookie led the Broncos to scores on six of those drives (three touchdowns; three field goals), all of which began on Denver’s side of the field. The only drive that didn’t end in a score was a one-play possession last week in Indianapolis that was torpedoed after tight end Lucas Krull fumbled after catching a pass from Nix.
“You can feel his comfort level as he continues to get used to the calls coming in,” Payton said. “You can feel his poise when he’s in there. … He’s done a great job digesting things going into the game plan.”
This competition was always more about Nix’s development than what Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson could do during a training camp setting. Nix was the 12th pick in April’s NFL Draft. It was the highest pick Denver’s used on a quarterback since selecting Jay Cutler at No. 11 in 2006. Nix is the first quarterback a Payton-run team has selected in the first round. It was a unique investment for team and coach. The only question was whether Nix would be ready to shoulder the starting job and all that comes with it in Payton’s offense when the season arrived.
Wonder no more. Nix looks ready.
GO FURTHER
Bo Nix puts emphatic claim on Broncos’ starting QB job in breezy win vs. Packers