Following a grueling six straight days of practice, Broncos head coach Sean Payton made it clear that the team is still in the early stages of camp, saying there’s no light at the end of the tunnel.
“It’s pitch black. That’s just the truth,” he added.
But when it comes down to the quarterback competition, there’s seem to be a small crack of light glaring in the distance. Payton said last week that we would begin to see a change in the quarterback rotation. He didn’t waste time in doing so.
During Denver’s second week of training camp, Bo Nix and Jarrett Stidham alternated between first-team reps while Zach Wilson spent time with the second and third teams during practice. Payton has held the notion that the quarterback competition is still a three-man race, but this week felt like the battle has come down to the former Auburn signal callers, with Nix, the 12th overall pick, beginning to create separation from Stidham.
“I think all three of the guys are up there battling their butts off,” Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton said about the quarterbacks. “… Ultimately the best (player) is going to come out on top, and it’s going to help this team be in the best spot we can be in.”
When the Broncos strapped on the pads for the first two days of practice, Nix looked overwhelmed in the pocket. Suddenly, he began to click. Nix seemed to be in command of the offense and was efficient, as the ball rarely threw an incompletion during the team period.
He made a nice throw near the sideline to wide receiver Josh Reynolds, who made a leaping grab over cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian. A day later, he connected with Devaughn Vele for a touchdown pass. On Friday, his pass to Sutton on a slant route was impressive. Nix was able to fit the ball through a tight window, causing frustration from cornerback Pat Surtain II, whose attempt to break up the throw failed.
Nix’s ability to run the ball doesn’t get a ton of love, but it should. There have been times when Nix used his legs to escape pressure, and Payton even incorporated a designed run for the 24-year-old. Don’t expect Nix to run a ton, but he has enough speed to keep defenses honest and extend plays when needed. On Saturday, Nix scrambled out of a collapsing pocket before completing a touchdown pass to Sutton near the corner of the end zone.
“I think he knows when the play is over, (it’s) time to go,” Payton said. “(Former Saints quarterback Drew) Brees was one of those guys. He was a tough sack. The ball came out (quickly), and I think Bo has traits like that.”
One of the biggest concerns about Nix leading up to the draft was his ability to throw the deep ball. At Oregon, Nix rarely was asked to push the ball downfield since most of his pass attempts were fewer than 10 yards. In 2023, 28.1% of Nix’s pass attempts were behind the line of scrimmage, according to Pro Football Focus.
There have been a few instances where Nix unleashed the cannon, but those attempts were unsuccessful. Last week, he missed wide receiver Phillip Dorsett on a deep pass attempt. And during a 7-on-7 period, Nix overthrew rookie wideout Troy Franklin.
Overall, Nix has made progress and the Broncos have been pleased. He had first-team reps in four of the six practices. And on Saturday, Stidham started off with the first team before Nix took No. 1 reps for the majority of the morning. Denver’s preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts next Sunday might shed more light on which direction Payton will ultimately go. But the last two days emphasized on Nix spending more time with the projected starters, as it started to feel like we have begun tread towards the inevitable of Nix becoming the top guy.
Grant it, Stidham hasn’t been far off. A year in Payton’s offense has benefited Stidham, as he looks comfortable in the pocket and hasn’t turned the ball over. Similar to Nix, Stidham hasn’t been asked to throw the ball deep but has been efficient on fairly intermediate throws. One of Stidham’s best moments at camp happened during the 11-on-11 period, when he scrambled out of the pocket before completing a pass to wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey. He also found Sutton in the back of the end zone for a touchdown during 7-on-7. However, he lacks the mobility that Nix has shown.
Wilson, on the other hand, has fallen back in the quarterback battle, though the odds stacked against him from the beginning. He was on the sideline while Nix and Stidham took reps during Denver’s two-minute drill period on Friday.
Wilson — who has the best arm among the three quarterbacks — has been more willing to take shots down the field, even though his attempts have been unsuccessful. On his first play of the team period on Saturday, Wilson launch the ball down the field to Franklin, but his pass was overthrown.
Wilson has misfired on targets quite a bit and has had an issue with holding on to the ball for too long, resulting in running out of bounds or getting sacked. His pass attempt to a wide-open Brandon Johnson in the flat was short, and he has been sacked multiple times by outside linebackers Jaylon Allen and Dondrea Tillman throughout the week. Wilson has had his moments, but for the most part, he has struggled running the offense and appears to be in desperation mode whenever he is in the pocket.
At some point, Payton will have to decide who will be the starting quarterback, as he can’t afford to prolong rotating each player.
One thing that’s certain: Nix will be handed the keys. It’s just a matter of when. If he continues to stack up good days like he did this week, it’s hard to imagine why Payton wouldn’t want to kick off the Nix era during the season opener against Seattle in September. Nix didn’t walk into a situation where there was an established starting quarterback in the building. Stidham has started in four career games while Wilson, the second overall pick in 2021, became a lost cause with the Jets before traded to Denver, hoping to change the narrative of his career.
Payton took Nix — the most experienced quarterback in the draft — for a reason. And it wasn’t for him to spend his entire rookie year on the bench.
“People talk about all the games he started in college. I think that truly means something,” tight end Adam Trautman said of Nix, who started in 61 career games between Oregon and Auburn. “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. That’s an experience thing. A lot of guys coming out might not have that because they played in like 20 or 30 games.”
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