ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Looking back, Sean Payton believed the day he drafted Bo Nix that his new quarterback would reach this point – the point being the Broncos’ season-opening starting quarterback.
To convince veterans like Mike McGlinchey, Courtland Sutton and Adam Trautman, though, Payton needed to make sure Nix earned the starting job.
As it turned out, Nix isn’t the Broncos’ starting quarterback because he was the No. 12 overall selection in the first round of the NFL Draft. He is the starting quarterback because he performed like the No. 12 overall selection.
His ascension from No. 3 quarterback during the offseason OTAs to season-opening starter against the Seattle Seahawks was all part of Payton’s patient, methodical plan.
The Bo Plan.
“I just didn’t want to hurry it,’’ Payton said Wednesday. “Teams handle these things differently. There’s certain things that I believe in, and we kind of set out a plan. I’m pleased with how he’s playing, and it’s much easier to make a decision like that and much more difficult maybe if he wasn’t having this — you guys understand where I’m [going]. We got a chance to see it. That’s most important for the locker room.”
Here's a chronological review of how the Bo Plan offered incremental hints that eventually pushed Nix into the starting job:
Waived Ben DiNucci
The Broncos, like every other team, usually carry four quarterbacks on their offseason, 90-man roster. But on the eve of Nix reporting to rookie minicamp on May 9, Payton cut his fourth quarterback, Ben DiNucci, so the practice reps would be divided in thirds, not fourths.
This allowed the rookie Nix to rotate in a little more, along with returning starter Jarrett Stidham and newcomer veteran Zach Wilson, during practice.
OTA rotation
It wasn’t so much Nix went third in the OTA rotation, behind Stidham and Wilson. It was that he did get his one day a week with McGlinchey, Trautman and the first team offense.
Ordinarily, rookies don’t get any first-team reps during OTAs, even the first rounders. Garett Bolles, the Broncos’ No. 20 overall draft pick in 2017, didn’t move into No. 1 left tackle until the second week of training camp.
Nix received strong reviews from the media that observed him working with the first-team offense on May 23 and 30.
Mandatory minicamp, June 11-12
Nix didn’t have his best practices here as he missed some throws. Then again, the Broncos as a team seemed to have their minds on the upcoming 5 ½-week vacation. On the final day of minicamp, Nix moved ahead of Wilson in the rotation.
Training camp rotation
To start training camp, Nix had permanently moved ahead of Wilson. Stidham still had the first-team offense on the first day of camp, July 24, but Nix took the next day and Wilson the third. That Friday, July 26 practice was the last time Wilson worked with the first team.
Beginning with the second week of camp, Monday, July 29, the starting quarterback competition was reduced to Stidham and Nix.
The Great Saturday Practice
The Stidham-Nix competition moved to the extremely clean, crisp, highly organized practice on Saturday, Aug. 3, when there were multiple team periods between special teams plays.
“Coach takes a lot of pride in how we want to do it,’’ Broncos’ running backs coach Lou Ayeni said in a mid-camp, sitdown interview with 9NEWS. “We talked about that practice for about a week and a half. His biggest thing for us right now is, ‘How do we start faster this year?’
“And he wanted to make sure we simulated a game-like deal and get those guys focused and understanding, this is a big deal," Ayeni said. "Let’s go out there with high intensity, high focus, let’s have a good practice.”
It was Stidham’s turn to run the No. 1 offense that Saturday, but after the first team period, Nix moved in to take the first-team offense in team periods 2 and 3. Then Stidham finished up with the 1s in the final 53-second, down 6, move the ball drill.
This was when Nix made a decisive move on the No. 1 QB spot.
The deceptive depth chart
The Broncos released their first depth chart on Tuesday, Aug. 6, and it was a real hoot. Payton either didn’t take it seriously, throwing all rookies – including Nix, who had started to edge past Stidham for No. 1 QB – to the end of their respective position lines, or the coach was simply following the old-school ways of his mentor Bill Parcells.
Back of the line, rookie!
Nix was listed as the No. 3 QB behind even Wilson. So for one day, Payton did not put on paper what he was putting out on the practice field.
Preseason game at Colts
Another hint Nix was about to become the guy: Stidham started the game but got a quick hook as he only played for two series and 11 snaps.
Nix came in to run the No. 1 offense for the third series. Stidham got some terrible luck between offensive penalties and an on-target pass that running back Samaje Perine bobbled into an interception.
Nix came in and narrowly missed throwing an interception on his first pass attempt but settled down after he scrambled and hit Sutton on the sidelines for 22 yards.
In four full series, Nix led the Broncos to two touchdowns and two field goals while completing 15 of 21 for 125 yards and a 1-yard touchdown fastball to Marvin Mims in the corner of the end zone.
Before the game, Payton had already announced Nix would start the second preseason game the following against the Packers, so the rookie’s strong performance in the opener gave him momentum towards the No. 1 job.
Joint practice with Packers
It was by design that Payton made sure Nix started the second preseason game because the week included a joint practice with the Packers last Friday. Payton used a rotation where Nix and the No. 1 offense got more reps than the No. 2 and 3 offenses. Nix completed several impressive passes against the Packers’ first-string defense.
Preseason game vs. Packers
Nix was superb, albeit against Green Bay’s second-string defense. In his two series, Nix guided the Broncos to a field goal and touchdown, completing 8 of 9 for 80 yards, an effort topped by a 2-yard touchdown to Tim Patrick.
Whatever morsel of doubt there was about Nix becoming the No. 1 quarterback was eaten up. The only question remaining was not if Nix would be named the starter, but when.
Wednesday
All three quarterbacks are among the first out on the field for practice. Payton approached Nix, Stidham and Wilson separately and notified each of them he was going with Nix as his starter for the regular-season opener Sept. 8 at Seattle.
Stidham and Wilson will split the final preseason game Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.
“It’s a hard thing because Bo won it, no one lost it,’’ said offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi of Stidham and Wilson. “They’re all playing really well. I think we’d be comfortable with any of them playing quarterback for us. All should be proud of their efforts, where they are right now.
“They’ve been good, haven’t been any problems," Lombardi said. "They’re supportive and the room feels the same as it did before the announcement.”
Nix was brought along patiently and, to his credit, executed Payton’s plan almost to perfection. Nix hasn’t been perfect. He’ll tell you that. But the plan to bring him along seemed to be carried out as well as the Broncos could have hoped.
“What’s stood out is he’s continued what we thought he was,’’ Lombardi said. “His ability to handle messy pockets and keep his eyes downfield. His mobility. He’s got more arm talent than I think most people gave him credit for and that shows up.
“We drafted him because we really liked him and he’s confirmed all those things we really liked about him.”