ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Broncos head coach Sean Payton made it official Wednesday, announcing rookie Bo Nix as Denver’s starting quarterback when the regular season opens Sept. 8 at Seattle.
"We've had a process and so, look, Bo Nix is going to be our starting quarterback,'' Payton said following the team's light practice Wednesday. "I felt like and I said this to you guys two weeks ago, that (quarterback room has been outstanding. (Jarrett) Stidham certainly with his experience and then being able to work with Zach Wilson, all three of those guys. We've got some tough decisions as we get into the (season-opening 53-man) roster. I don't want to get into all the other roster battles. That's not for today.
"But Bo will start. And we've kind of gone through our process. And in the very beginning of it all, just speaking with George (Paton, the general manager) and Greg (Penner, team owner and CEO) and understanding that oftentimes these things take care of themselves but we're not in a hurry to arrive at those type of decisions. We want to see it. And I think it's important relative to the team that we handle it that way.
"(Nix has) been outstanding. There's a ton of room for growth. There's a lot of things he needs to work on."
Payton’s endorsement has been pretty much expected since Aug. 2, when Nix and Nix alone ran a final-second, game-like situation during a training camp practice while the veterans Stidham and Wilson watched.
Nix, the Broncos’ No. 12 overall selection in the first round of the NFL Draft on April 25, would later cement the starting job by turning in two impressive preseason performances against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium and home Sunday night against the Green Bay Packers at Empower Field at Mile High.
Nix has completed 23 of 30 passes in his two preseason games for 205 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions and 0 sacks for a 116.7 passer rating.
"It was really cool,'' Nix said of getting the starter's nod. "It's not every day to get that news but obviously as a (QB) room we've been working hard. Putting a lot of good things on film and a lot of good things on the practice field. So get that news is definitely a great, great thing. I'm super excited and ready to get back to work again."
Payton has been an NFL head coach for going on 17 seasons but this is the first time he's had a quarterback competition involved a first-round rookie in training camp. He picked an unorthodox way of announcing his decision. He let each of the three quarterbacks know Nix was the guy just prior to the team's walkthrough which began the 10 a.m. practice.
"He walked up and said he was going to tell you guys (the media) this afternoon. Have a good practice,'' Nix said.
And then after practice Payton announced the Nix decision to about 50 USAA military members who were invited to watch the otherwise closed practice. They started hootin' and hollerin'.
Payton did not notify the other 87 players on the Broncos' roster of his starting QB decision, saying there were other position battles that wouldn't receive a team announcement, so why this one?
"They've kind of seen this coming to some degree,'' Payton said. "And again one of my goals in the offseason was to improve relationshipswith the local media and I wanted you guys to hear it first."
There was laughter from the local media.
"Now, the 50 military heard it before you,'' Payton said smiling.
It was as if a weight was lifted from the Broncos' head coach.
"We truly wanted wanted to let the thing play itself out,'' Payton said. "Most of the time when that happens, you arrive at the right decisions. And I think anything earlier than that or prematurely than that you run the risk of, 'Hey, wait a minute.' Certainly you're pleased to see where he's at but there's a lot of room for growth with this player (Nix) and the same with Jarrett and Zach."
Stidham, who started the final two games of last season in place of the benched Russell Wilson, had been the Broncos’ top quarterback through the offseason OTAs, minicamp and first week of training camp. Starting with the second week of camp, Payton began to gradually move Nix ahead for more first-team reps.
Wilson, acquired from the New York Jets on April 22, has been relegated to the Broncos’ third-team offense since the second week of camp.
Much has been made about how Nix has greater poise and maturity, and therefore is more NFL-ready, than other rookie quarterbacks. He started an NCAA-record 61 games at Auburn (34) and Oregon (27) combined the previous five seasons and turned 24 years old on Feb. 25.
Nix completed a Division I-record 77.4 percent of his passes last year as a fifth-year senior, throwing for 45 touchdowns against just 3 interceptions. He also was only sacked 5 times against 470 pass attempts – in stark contract to the 100 sacks Russell Wilson took in his 30 games over two seasons with the Broncos.
While the Broncos open at Seattle, there is now a decent chance Nix will start against Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers in week 2, Sept. 15, at Empower Field.
"I don't think I would have allowed this to drag into the regular season, I just didn't want to hurry it,'' Payton said. "Teams handle these things differently, there's certain things I believe in. We kind of set out a plan and look, I'm pleased with how he's playing. And it's much easier to make a decision like that, it's much more difficult maybe if he wasn't having the success ... you guys understand where I'm (coming from). We got a chance to see it. And that's most important for the locker room."
Nix is the first rookie quarterback to get the season-opening starting assignment since John Elway in 1983. It may be worth pointing out Elway was 1 of 8 for 14 yards with an interception and four sacks when he was pulled at halftime in his first game in favor of Steve DeBerg.
But that was a different era. Talent aside, rookie quarterbacks like Nix are so much more NFL ready coming out of college. Still.
"You don't get a season exception,'' Payton said. "You have to play."
