Sean Payton Offers Update on Bo Nix, Denver Broncos QB Battle

Denver selected Nix with the No. 12 overall pick in this spring’s draft, to round out a quarterback room that already included veterans Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson.

While Payton remains committed to a quarterback competition, given Nix’ pedigree and what the Broncos have invested in him, there’s a real chance that the former Oregon and University of Auburn standout leads Denver’s offense out onto the field Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals.

How Does Bo Nix Stack Up in Denver Broncos QB Battle?

From the sounds of it, during broncos OTA practices this spring, Nix has been ahead of schedule.

“Good,” Payton told reporters, via ESPN. “He’s farther along than most would be. We’re talking about a player who’s played 61 games [in college]. He’s extremely smart. He’s picked it up very quickly.”

There’s a lot of runway left between now and the Broncos taking on the Cardinals, and Payton insists Wilson and Stidham will have a real chance of locking down the starting job.

But, Nix lands in the Mile High City having completed 66.4 percent of his collegiate passing attempts for 15,352 yards with 113 touchdowns to 26 interceptions, and given that the Broncos chose him with a top-15 pick, it could prove difficult for Stidham or Wilson to unseat him.

“We try to split up all the reps,” Payton said. “There’s going to be a time when you read into the reps, I don’t think it’s early in OTAs. It’s kind of the orphan group, they’re all orphan dogs. They’ve come from somewhere, but they’re doing good. It’s a good room.

“We go by what we see. We try to get them as many reps as possible. We rotate. We’re rotating all of them right now. They’re all in a race to learn this system. Man, they’re doing well.”