Bo Nix puts emphatic claim on Broncos' starting QB job in breezy win vs. Packers (2024)

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 80 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.

Bo Nix looking comfortable out there 🔥

He finds Tim Patrick for the @Broncos TD!

📺: #GBvsDEN on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/zUCHmJT6Cp

— NFL (@NFL) August 19, 2024

“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.

Yes, the 24-year-old has played largely against backups during his preseason audition. There are more dynamic pass rushers and defensive fronts that will make the pocket muddier. Faster defensive backs who will close windows a tick more quickly. But everything Nix has done in two preseason auditions looks transferable. He has shown no panic in the pocket, dropping back to pass 34 times to this point without being sacked. He has shown sharp anticipation, highlighted by both of his touchdown passes: a zip to Marvin Mims Jr. just after the snap in Indianapolis; and a quick strike Sunday to Patrick, the underneath receiver on a play-action roll-out near the goal line.

It was all things Nix did in a joint practice against the Packers on Friday — when he faced their first-team defense.

“I like Bo Nix,” star Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander said after that session, noting the rookie’s recognition of what Green Bay was doing defensively improved as the practice went along. “I think he’s a young talent and I think that he’s gonna be a pretty good quarterback in this league.”

The numbers for Nix illustrate the poise teammates — and opponents like Alexander — have noted. Take the rookie’s performance on third down in two games: 6-of-7 passing for 72 yards and a touchdown. That’s good for an average of 10.3 yards per attempt and a 149.1 passer rating. On Nix’s second drive Sunday, he stood firmly in the pocket as it began to squeeze in on third-and-9, delivering a 14-yard strike to Patrick.

Putting the necessary qualifiers on preseason performances is all well and good. There will be hurdles for Nix, no matter how in command he looks now. Young players across the roster will be growing up with him. The Broncos are “young and hungry,” Payton has said often this offseason. That could provide equal parts excitement and indigestion at various waypoints in the season.

But after nearly a decade of quarterback play that has ranged from mediocre to atrocious, fans can be forgiven for failing to apply a governor to their collective optimism. Nix received a sturdy ovation when he took the field for his first series Sunday. The buzz grew as he completed his first four passes. It reached a crescendo when he fired a 23-yard strike to Courtland Sutton to move the Broncos to the doorstep and then completed the scoring throw to Patrick.

“He’s been consistent since he came to OTAs. He was just being Bo Nix,” Patrick said. “He doesn’t try to be someone he’s not. He sticks to being himself and that worked out for him today.”

The vision is coming together. The Broncos looked at Nix’s experience — five years as a college starter; five (yes, five) as a varsity starter in high school — and saw a player who wouldn’t be drowned early by the NFL learning curve. Though Patyon said before the draft that a quarterback’s ability to process is the most difficult part of an evaluation, there was evidence Nix could not only get the ball out quickly but had also built an aversion to negative plays as part of his quarterbacking identity.

All those boxes have been checked to this point.

Earlier in training camp, Nix was asked about possibly starting his NFL career in Seattle. It was the site of one of his most heartbreaking college losses, a 36-33 defeat by Washington that dented Oregon’s hopes of chasing a national championship. It was clear the result still ate at him, offering an insight into his edge.

“I think about that (game) a lot,” Nix said. “It’s one of those things that, honestly, I hope I never forget because of the learning things that happened. It’s only fitting that I get to start there this year and that’s where my NFL journey takes off. We’re going to be ready to roll. We’re going to come out with some enthusiasm and hopefully not let that happen again.”

It was days into his first pro training camp and Nix was already talking like QB1. Everyone else knows it’s his title now. The announcement will only confirm the inevitable.

Other takeaways

• There remains another intrigue at the quarterback position. Will the Broncos keep Stidham and Wilson? If not, which one stays on the roster?

Neither quarterback did much to help his case Sunday. Stidham ran for a touchdown, but he finished 7-of-11 passing for 65 yards. He threw an interception and was sacked once. Wilson was sacked in the end zone for a safety in the third quarter, ending Denver’s bid for a shutout. He failed to efficiently guide an offense of reserves the way he had in Indianapolis last week. He was 1-of-5 for 22 yards before running back Tyler Badie turned a Wilson screen pass into a 7-yard touchdown.

The game shouldn’t erase an encouraging camp for both players. The Broncos like their quarterbacks group and Wilson’s growth has been noted by the staff during the past two weeks. But Sunday wasn’t a high point for either quarterback who took the field after Nix.

• The big night for Patrick (four catches, 30 yards, one touchdown), came after a strong performance against the Packers in Friday’s joint practice. After he missed the past two seasons with injuries, you could tell there was a little something extra from Patrick as he gave a Mile High Salute to the crowd after his touchdown.

Good night, #BroncosCountry 🫡 pic.twitter.com/bMeibY0cP2

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) August 19, 2024

Patrick was playing catch-up with the Broncos offense when the offseason began. He was injured, after all, before he could build any familiarity with the scheme last year. But his grasp of the system has ticked up over the past couple of weeks, and he’s been the reliable target on situational downs that he was during a breakout season in 2021. That’s a big development for a team that needs his toughness.

“I have a higher standard for myself,” Patrick said. “I’m not just trying to be a feel-good story. It’s a step in the right direction, but you guys haven’t seen anything yet.”

• Jonah Elliss looks the part. The rookie outside linebacker, drafted by theBroncosin the third round out of Utah, had a sack, a forced fumble and a recovery on the same play in the third quarter. He also created pressure onPackersquarterback Sean Clifford in the second quarter that helped force an interception by Keidron Smith, the safety’s second in as many games.

Elliss will have to answer for a roughing-the-passer flag he drew in the second quarter, but overall he’s been impossible to miss this preseason. The 21-year-old has likely forced his way into Denver’s pass rush rotation for the regular season.

• The Broncos are giving up roughly 3 yards per carry in the preseason. Sunday, Zach Allen and John Franklin-Myers saw action after sitting out the preseason opener and showed why Payton has been optimistic about a turnaround with the defensive front. Allen had a sack and two quarterback hits and the defensive line played a key role in limiting the Packers to only 37 rushing yards on 14 attempts in the first half.

The Packers did not play their first-string offense. Running back Josh Jacobs, a longtime Broncos torturer since his days with the Raiders, didn’t suit up. The Broncos needed to look dominant against the group the Packers started Sunday, and that’s exactly what they did.

• Rookie wide receiver Devaughn Vele did not play after missing Friday’s practice with an undisclosed injury. He is not expected to miss much more time. Starting left guard Ben Powers (ribs) and veteran defensive backs Brandon Jones (hamstring) and Levi Wallace (hamstring) were among the other players who sat out with injuries.

(Photo: Jamie Schwaberow / Getty Images)

Nick Kosmider is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Denver Broncos. He previously covered the Denver Nuggets for The Athletic after spending five years at the Denver Post, where he covered the city’s professional sports scene. His other stops include The Arizona Republic and MLB.com. Follow Nick on Twitter @NickKosmider