Bo Nix on Broncos QB competition: 'We’re all going to be better' at end of it
Rookie quarterback Bo Nix checked into his first NFL training camp earlier this week. He probably is the favorite to win the Broncos starting job. But whatever happens, Denver probably is the only team with a three-way competition for QB1.
Nix, the former Oregon star whom the Broncos selected with the 12th pick of the first round of April’s NFL Draft, is a contender. So is Jarrett Stidham, who ended last season in Denver as the starter. And so is Zach Wilson, the Jets reject who was the No. 2 player selected in the 2021 draft.
But it is difficult to get three different quarterbacks quality practice reps with the first-team offense. Broncos coach Sean Payton tried it during OTAs, devoting entire practices to each quarterback. As the regular season approaches, the reps will get tighter.
Nix calls competition between 3 quarterbacks ‘respectful’
So what does Nix think about the whole situation?
“It started I guess the moment we knew we were all going to be on the same team,” Nix said in an interview with DenverBroncos.com. “But I have great respect for those guys and we’re competing at a very high level, but it’s very respectful competition. I think we all want each other to succeed. We all know that we’ve come from different paths and had to overcome different adversities, and that’s kind of what connects us in that. “
He added: “we’re all helping each other, and it’s been great to learn from those guys and experience some things that they’ve experienced.”
April’s draft was all about the quarterbacks, with six going in the top 12 picks. Nix was the sixth and final quarterback taken in the first round. The Broncos needed a quarterback after releasing Russell Wilson in March. Most mock drafts, leading up to the event, linked Nix to the Broncos. After all, Nix’s play and physical build was likened to former Saints great Drew Brees. And coincidentally, Payton and Brees won a Super Bowl together in New Orleans.
Four of the six first rounders, including Nix, probably will start this season. J.J. McCarthy may earn a spot on the first team with the Vikings, but Sam Darnold probably is the leader for the job. Meanwhile, it’s unlikely that Michael Penix Jr will start this season for the Falcons unless something happens to Kirk Cousins.
Nix is favorite to win starting job, but Stidham, Wilson do have experience as QB1
The Broncos do have two quarterbacks who have started in the NFL. Wilson struggled with the Jets, but still started 33 games over three seasons. Stidham, who began his NFL career in 2019 as a fourth-round pick with the Patriots, has four starts split between the Broncos and Raiders.
Nix is probably the most talented of the trio. But he doesn’t have their seasoning.
“I think honestly, my job as a rookie is to soak up everything I can, especially from those guys,” Nix said. “You know, Zach’s played a lot and Stidham’s played a lot of years. And so they’ve got — between the two — different situations, but a lot of knowledge, so that’s what I’m excited to continue to learn in training camp. I think it’s just overall healthy competition, a good competition and I think we’re all going to be better coming out of it.”
Former NFL executive Jeff Diamond, writing for the 33rdTEAM, predicts Nix.
“Nix will likely win the job, but he should be pushed, mostly by Stidham,” wrote Diamond. “So this will be an interesting August competition.”