Bo Nix showed a lot of promise in his preseason debut last week at Indianapolis. For a quarterback with over 60 games of experience in college, it just further validates why Nix could be the quarterback Denver has been looking for since Peyton Manning retired after Super Bowl 50 in 2016.
Nix is battling seven-year veteran Jarrett Stidham to win the starting quarterback job in Denver. Ironically, Stidham proceeded Nix at Auburn in 2017 and 2018 before Nix arrived in 2019.
The Broncos host the Packers tonight, a game that will be nationally televised on NFL Network at 8 p.m. EST. Will Nix see more action tonight?
Latest on What We Know About Bo Nix’s Status Against Green Bay
Broncos head coach Sean Payton said that Nix will be starting out in Phase 1 tonight against the Packers. Payton divides playing time in the preseason into phases, and Phase 1 refers to the starters.
Nix was the starting quarterback for a majority of the Broncos joint practice with the Packers on Friday. This is on the heels of playing 39 snaps against Indianapolis in Week 1 of the preseason last Sunday.
It’s interesting to note that Payton has never had a rookie quarterback start in Week 1 in his 16 seasons as a head coach.
But this is the first time Payton has had to navigate a roster going through a transition at quarterback without an established veteran waiting in the wings. That’s why the Broncos drafted Nix 12th overall this past April.
Now, the Broncos are hoping his extensive college experience and reps with the Broncos’ first-team offense in the preseason will help Nix win the starting job and finally give the Broncos a hopeful future at quarterback.
Since 2016, the Broncos have had a tough time replacing Hall of Famer Peyton Manning. They’ve drafted multiple quarterbacks, signed multiple quarterbacks in free agency and even traded for Russell Wilson in March 2022. Despite all of those efforts, no quarterback has been able to find long-term success in Denver over the last eight seasons. Stidham, in fact, replaced Wilson for the last two games of the 2023 season.
That leads us to Nix, who will try to end the Broncos’ problems that extend far beyond just the eight-year problem at quarterback.
Payton has praised Nix for his maturity and poise throughout the offseason and Training Camp. That’s a big reason why he is expected to get all of the snaps with the first-team offense tonight.
Tonight is a big night for Nix. Payton previously said he may not play many of the starters in the Broncos’ preseason finale Aug. 26 against the Rams. That means Nix and Stidham may see their final preseason action tonight against the Packers.
Payton added that the Broncos will have several personnel meetings following tonight’s game to name starters and cut the roster down to 53 players by the Aug. 27 deadline. That makes tonight, and next week, crucial for Nix as he looks to win the Broncos quarterback competition ahead of their regular-season opener at Seattle.
