The Denver Broncos made a bold decision near the end of the 2023 season that they were going to make a quarterback change. Veteran Russell Wilson was benched to avoid an injury, which would have led to his contract in 2024 becoming guaranteed.
With Wilson no longer in the mix, the Broncos had to look elsewhere for quarterback help. The team acquired Zach Wilson in a trade with the New York Jets and then used a first-round pick on Bo Nix out of Oregon.
They joined veteran Jarrett Stidham, who closed out the 2023 season as the starter in place of Wilson. Right now, Stidham is the starting quarterback but that isn’t a spot he is expected to hold onto for very long.
Wilson is a distant third, as he has already seen his first-team reps disappear. Nix, however, is on the rise as he was excellent during Denver’s first preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts.
It was Stidham who got the start and played the first two series. But, it was Nix who turned heads, as his performance was excellent despite it being the first live-action against an opponent as a pro.
He was on the field for five drives, completing 15-of-21 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown. Most importantly, he consistently led the Denver Broncos on scoring drives, as they put up 20 points.
That has Nix moving up the NFL rookie rankings that Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report put together following the first full week of preseason action. Nix came in at No. 3 on the list, a lofty ranking he earned with his performance.
“The effort wasn’t perfect, particularly the start of Nix’s initial drive. However, the overall performance showed how he can win within Sean Payton’s system. He simply needs to be an extension of what he was with the Oregon Ducks.
Considering Nix is the most experienced starter to ever come out of the collegiate ranks, this dog-and-pony show of a competition needs to end, with the rookie getting all of the reps as part of the first-team offense,” Sobleski wrote.
The only players who ranked higher than Nix are Baltimore Ravens cornerback Nate Wiggins and Chicago Bears quarterback, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Caleb Williams.
The more reps that Nix receives during training camp with the first-team offense, the better start the Denver Broncos can get off to during the 2024 regular season. If they want to be as competitive as possible, Nix needs to be as prepared as can be.
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