Bo Nix

After earning the starting job with a strong performance throughout preseason, Bo Nix has made a quick impression on his new Denver Broncos teammates.

Head coach Sean Payton announced on Wednesday that Nix was voted as one of six captains for the 2024 season. Adam Schefter of ESPN noted it's the Broncos' first rookie captain since Hall of Famer Floyd Little earned the distinction in 1967.

Courtland Sutton, Quinn Meinerz, Patrick Surtain II, Alex Singleton and Will Lutz will also have the "C" patch on their jerseys to signify them as captains.

"It's a privilege, an honor to be with this group,'' Nix told reporters. " ... I don't take it lightly. I know it's a big deal, hasn't happened often, but I don't take it for granted. I've got to come to work every single day and just prove you can be the captain.''

Payton added: "(It's) something you earn. ... It's unusual for a rookie to be named a captain ... (It's a) first for me, just say rookie period in fairness to the process ... It's a credit to him and I think his teammates felt that he belonged in that position.''

Sutton is the only repeat captain for the Broncos, earning the honor for a fourth consecutive season. The 28-year-old is entering his seventh NFL season since being selected in the seventh-round of the 2018 draft.

Surtain earned his C on the same day he agreed to a four-year, $96 million extension that will make him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Meinerz has started each of the last 38 games he's played over the past three seasons. Singleton recorded a career-high 177 combined tackles in 2023 and has appeared in all 34 games over the past two seasons. Lutz is entering his second season with the Broncos after spending six seasons with the New Orleans Saints.

After releasing Russell Wilson in March, the Broncos used their first-round pick (No. 12 overall) to select Nix as their long-term answer at quarterback. The 24-year-old was coming off a season in which he was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year and finished third in Heisman voting last season at Oregon.

Payton did treat the quarterback battle like a real competition, including giving Jarrett Stidham the start in the preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts. Nix was the clear standout from the group that also included Zach Wilson

Nix looked good by throwing for 205 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions and completed 76.7 percent of his attempts in seven drives over two games. He sat out the preseason finale against the Arizona Cardinals after winning the job.

The Broncos will get their first look at Nix in a real game on Sunday when they open the regular season against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field.

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix was the sixth signal-caller off the board in this year's NFL draft, but some around the league believe that he'll have the best season out of any rookie quarterback.

According to The Athletic's Jeff Howe, two voters in the annual preseason awards poll picked Nix to be the best rookie over the likes of Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears or Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders.

"Because of Sean Payton," an executive said of his reasoning for choosing Nix. Another coach added, "Sean will have him going."

Payton named Nix the starting quarterback for the 2024 season prior to Denver's final preseason game. The Oregon product beat out veteran Jarrett Stidham and fourth-year signal-caller Zach Wilson for the starting job, making him the first rookie to start a season opener for the Broncos since John Elway in 1983.

"Obviously, that's great to share with such a great player as John Elway,'' Nix said after being named the starter. "... You just want to go out there and get the first win, ultimately compete at a high level and give your team the best chance to win."

Payton said at the time that the 2024 No. 12 pick did enough during practice and the preseason to prove he was the right person for the job.

"We're not in a hurry to arrive at those type of decisions, we want to see it,'' Payton said. "... He's been outstanding. Obviously there's a ton of room for growth, a lot of things he needs to work on ... but there is a maturity level with him."

Nix threw for 125 yards and a touchdown in his preseason debut against the Indianapolis Colts and followed that up with 80 yards and a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers. Over his two appearances, he completed 23 of his 29 passes and led the Broncos to scoring drives on six of the seven possessions he played.

Denver is not expected to be in contention for a playoff spot this year, so Nix will not have too much pressure on his shoulders in his first season. He could surprise many by outperforming the other quarterbacks in his draft class.

Zach Wilson made a strong case to become the Denver Broncos' No. 2 quarterback during a 38-12 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in the team's preseason finale on Sunday.

Wilson finished 16-of-25 for 251 yards and two touchdown passes without throwing an interception. He also added a third score on the ground.

Rookie signal-caller Bo Nix did not participate in the contest after he secured the starting job on Wednesday.

Jarrett Stidham opened up Sunday's game under center for Denver before Wilson entered near the end of the first quarter. Stidham completed two of his four pass attempts for 28 yards in limited action.

Wilson wasn't flawless, as he dealt with some of the inaccuracy that plagued him throughout his tenure with the New York Jets. Still, the former No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft was able to extend drives for the Broncos through the air and on the ground. This included a 21-yard scramble near the start of the second quarter.

He also found wide receiver Brandon Johnson for a 46-yard touchdown with just over six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

Fans were impressed with his performance.

Although Nix is already entrenched as the Broncos' Week 1 starter, Wilson gave himself a chance to move up the depth chart against Arizona after working with Denver's third-string offense throughout the last "several weeks" of training camp (via Aric DiLalla of the team's official website).

The Broncos finished their preseason action with a 3-0 record.

Denver Broncos rookie starting quarterback Bo Nix will not play during Sunday's preseason finale against the Arizona Cardinals.

Instead Jarrett Stidham will get the start, while Zach Wilson will enter in relief, head coach Sean Payton said Friday (h/t ESPN's Adam Schefter.)

"I'd like to see (Stidham) get eight to 12 plays, and then we'll get a lot of work with Zach at some point in that first or early second quarter," Payton said, per Schefter.

Nix was named the Broncos' starter on Wednesday. He will see his next game action on Sept. 8 against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1 of the regular season.

Nix, Stidham and Wilson each began training camp splitting reps with the Broncos' starting offense, per ESPN's Jeff Legwold.

Those reps went only to Nix and Stidham since the second week of training camp, and went mostly to Nix in the week leading up to Week 2 of the preseason, per Legwold.

Stidham started the first game of the Broncos' preseason against the Indianapolis Colts, but only got two drives marred by offensive penalties before Nix took over.

Nix then started Week 2 of the preseason against the Green Bay Packers. Between his two preseason appearances the rookie went 23-of-30 for 205 yards and two touchdowns, while leading the Broncos to score in six of his seven drives.

Stidham meanwhile has gone 11-of-18 for 102 yards with two interceptions, while Wilson has gone 12-of-19 for 146 yards and one pick.

Two preseason games may have been enough for Payton to make a call on QB1, but the Broncos still need to decide where Stidham and Wilson fit heading into the regular season.

Payton said Friday that there is "certainly" a possibility that the Broncos could decide to keep all three quarterbacks on the roster heading into the 2024 season, per Legwold.

"We've got a pretty good idea the direction we're going ... I think we've got a real good handle on that room specifically," Payton said Friday about the quarterback decisions, per Legwold.

The decision to rest Nix will give the Broncos more time to watch Wilson against the Cardinals in what could be the former New York Jet signal caller's final chance to audition for a spot on the 53-man roster.

The Denver Broncos' quarterback battle has a winner, with Bo Nix beating out Zach Wilson and Jarrett Stidham.

Head coach Sean Payton made the decision official on Wednesday, meaning the rookie will be under center for the season opener against the Seattle Seahawks.

Adam Schefter of ESPN noted that Nix will be the first Broncos rookie quarterback to start in Week 1 since John Elway.

Nix has been the standout performer of the three in preseason. He looked good in a 34-30 win over the Indianapolis Colts, finishing 15-of-21 for 125 yards and a touchdown. Wilson and Stidham, meanwhile, combined to go 14-of-20 for 154 yards and an interception against Indianapolis.

Denver's 27-2 win over the Green Bay Packers brought more of the same. Nix was an efficient 8-of-9 for 80 yards and a touchdown. Stidham and Wilson (9-of-17, 94 yards, one touchdown and one interception) failed to keep pace.

Drawing conclusions from the preseason can be a fool's errand, lest we forget the excitement Kenny Pickett generated last year. In the case of Nix, he at least did everything he could to justify why he warranted QB1 status in Week 1.

The Broncos' decision to release Russell Wilson—and absorb a sizable financial hit as a result—in March didn't come as a shock. The nine-time Pro Bowler got benched with two games left on the schedule in 2023, and his partnership with head coach Sean Payton had been a marriage of convenience from the outset.

Wilson's departure created a vacuum at quarterback, though, with no clear internal successor.

Stidham was the only candidate, but he has been a career backup who didn't move the needle much when he took over for Wilson. In two starts, he went 40-of-66 for 496 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

The Broncos' desperation to land another QB was evident in their selection of Nix with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

The former Auburn and Oregon star made the most of his two years in Eugene, throwing for 8,101 yards and 74 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. His 188.3 passer rating in 2023 was second in the FBS behind LSU's Jayden Daniels.

Still, taking Nix that early was widely viewed as a reach for Denver. He was the No. 61 overall player on Bleacher Report's final big board, with B/R scout Derrik Klassen comparing him to three-time Pro Bowler Andy Dalton.

The Broncos had also acquired Wilson from the New York Jets days before the draft got underway.

Nix was arguably the leader from the start in the three-way race for the starting job.

One presumes Payton and general manager George Paton wouldn't have been so aggressive in targeting the position if they had believed in Stidham, so he was presumably out. And for as much as Wilson may benefit from a change of scenery, his three-year run with the New York Jets was a disaster. He showed little growth between his rookie campaign and what proved to be his last season in the Big Apple, pushing him to the periphery as well.

In addition, Nix is at the older end of the spectrum for a draft prospect after having played five years in college. He turned 24 in February.

The first-rounder should theoretically be a little more pro-ready than his younger counterparts in the 2024 class, and the clock is already ticking in a way it typically isn't for an incoming rookie.

With all of the factors at play, handing Nix the keys to the offense in a rebuilding year over Wilson and Stidham was the obvious outcome.

As Bo Nix continues to impress this preseason after being selected with the No. 12 pick in the 2024 NFL draft, Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton raved about his rookie quarterback's ability to make plays under pressure.

In an interview with The Athletic's Dianna Russini and Chase Daniel on the Scoop City podcast (starts at 25:25 mark), Payton spoke about a highlight play from Nix at Oregon he's "never seen on film before" that helped sell him on the 24-year-old.

"When you watch his off-schedule throws in a game, it's remarkable. It's noticeable," Payton said. "Something happened with him I've never seen on film before. It's a third-down play. The tackles are rushing up the field and the guard is blocking the three-technique, and (Nix) slips between the guard, underneath—between the guard and the three-technique. And the climbs and throws it to a tight end, and I replayed it. I said, 'I've never seen this before."

Nix was coming off two stellar seasons at Oregon, but scouting reports were concerned about how his game would translate to the NFL after playing in an scheme that didn't require him to do a lot of processing and go through progressions.

The Broncos' decision to use their first-round pick on Nix wasn't met with universal praise. It wasn't a surprise they drafted a quarterback because they didn't have an obvious starter after releasing Russell Wilson in March.

While it's only the preseason, Nix is making Payton and the Broncos look smart right now. He has led the offense to scores on six of his seven drives through two games (three touchdowns, three field goals).

Payton declined to name Nix the starter for the regular season after Sunday's 27-2 win over the Green Bay Packers.

Nix's 30 attempts this preseason are 12 more than Jarrett Stidham and 11 more than Zach Wilson. His 23 completions are as many as Stidham and Wilson combined.

When you combine Nix's preseason performance with how impressed Payton clearly is by the way he plays the game, it would be a surprise if he's not under center when the Broncos take on the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1.

Bo Nix put together another solid performance during Sunday's 27-2 preseason win over the Green Bay Packers, finishing 8-of-9 for 80 yards and a touchdown while leading the team to a pair of scoring drives.

It seems fairly clear at this point that he's the frontrunner for the starting gig, though head coach Sean Payton isn't ready to make that announcement just yet.

"He's played well. I'm not announcing any starting quarterback tonight," he told reporters after the game. "I'll let you guys know when the time comes. I thought he played well."

Three factors would suggest it's only a matter of time, however. One, Nix was a first-round pick, and when teams use that level of resource on the position, it's because they believe in his upside and it's only a matter of time before they want to see whether it translates on the field.

Two, Nix has now led the Broncos to scores on six of his seven preseason drives. He's played legitimately well.

Three, neither Jarrett Stidham nor Zach Wilson have ever proven to be reliable NFL starters. Given their past struggles, the Broncos are probably best served—both now and for the future—handing the reins over to Nix.

Bo Nix once again impressed as the Denver Broncos rookie looks to win the QB1 battle against Zach Wilson.

In a win against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Nix had 80 passing yards and a touchdown, completing eight of his nine passes in limited action. Nix also tallied 12 rushing yards on three attempts.

Wilson finished with 29 passing yards and a touchdown on 2-of-6 passing while Jared Stidham had 65 passing yards and an interception.

After another impressive outing, Broncos fans hyped Nix as Denver's QB1 this season.

In Nix's first preseason game, he was 15-of-21 with 125 passing yards and a touchdown along with 17 rushing yards. In that same game against the Indianapolis Colts, Wilson had 117 yards on 10-of-13 passing.

While Wilson has a leg up on Nix because of his experience, Nix has been slightly more impressive and it could be enough for him to be named the starter. Denver still has one more preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals next week, which could help the Broncos make a final decision.

The Broncos drafted Nix 13th overall after an impressive collegiate career. He spent three seasons at Auburn before finishing up his career at Oregon, where he was named a Heisman finalist after throwing for 4,145 passing yards, 40 touchdowns and just three interceptions.

Now, he'll look to follow up his collegiate success with a big rookie year.