Broncos Name Bo Nix As Starting Quarterback, Jarrett Stidham & Zach Wilson Benched

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton confirmed this week that Bo Nix will be the team’s starting quarterback to begin the 2024 season. Nix beat out Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson for the role.

“Bo Nix is going to be our starting quarterback,” Payton told reporters Wednesday. “I felt like, and I said this to you guys two weeks ago, that [quarterback] room has been outstanding. … He’s been outstanding. Obviously, there’s a ton of room for growth; there’s a lot of things that he needs to work on.”

The Broncos selected Nix, who spent five years in college playing for Auburn and then Oregon, in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft with the 12th overall pick. Based on the team’s activity in the off-season, however, which included acquiring Wilson from the Jets, it was not always clear if Nix would start out of the gate.

Stidham and Wilson were not considered especially stiff competition for a QB1 battle, with one carrying on as a journeyman backup and the other coming off a disappointing stint in New York. Still, Nix could have benefitted from sitting behind a credible starter for a time and prepare more for the professional level.

Speaking to reporters, Payton believes that the rookie is the best option for the team coming out of training camp.

“I would say a lot of the off-schedule movement throws, and I think he’s been consistent,” Payton said when asked about why Nix won the starting job. “It’s not really a reflection on Jarrett or even Zach, it’s some of the things [Nix] has been able to do pretty quickly — his arm strength down the field, all the things that when we evaluated him, you kind of trust your instincts.”

The Broncos are coming off another dreadful season in which Russell Wilson tried, and failed, to recapture some of the success he had with the Seahawks. After parting ways with the veteran, Denver drafted Nix and has tried to catch him up to speed with the help of Stidham and others. He will be the first rookie to start Week 1 since John Elway in 1983.