ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Broncos training camp has reached its halfway point.
It began with Bo Nix as the No. 2 quarterback.
The way it’s gone lately, Nix appears to have edged past Jarrett Stidham for No. 1.
In the first three camp practices, the QB rotation was Stidham with the No. 1 offense on July 24, Nix with the good guys on July 25 and Zach Wilson quarterbacking the first stringers on July 26.
Wilson hasn’t been with the top offense since. The Stidham-Nix rotation moved to Saturday’s extremely clean, crisp, highly organized practice. It was Stidham’s turn to run the No. 1 offense 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.
Nix is coming on.
One reason why Sean Payton let go of Russell Wilson and drafted Nix in the first round: The ability to perform under pass rush pressure.
“I think it’s a trait that when we watched you see pretty good pocket sense,’’ Payton said of Nix after the camp practice Saturday on another hot, sunny morning at Broncos Park. “He doesn’t take a lot of sacks. I think he knows when the play’s over, time to go. And then I think he can make plays when he’s going. I used to say this all the time that the sack numbers are more a reflection on the quarterback than the offensive line.”
Hear that, Russ? Wilson took 100 sacks in his 30 games as the Broncos' quarterback.
Don’t be surprised if Stidham, the veteran, starts the preseason opener next Sunday at Indianapolis, a game telecast on Channel 20. He made a terrific fourth-and-18 throw to Marvin Mims Jr., to keep a final-second drive alive Saturday. But it also looks like Nix has the edge to become the starting quarterback when it counts, the regular-season opener Sept. 8 at Seattle.
Bo is a rare rookie who is all-but NFL ready.
“People talk about all the games he started in college. I think that truly means something,’’ said tight end Adam Trautman. “You see it in the way he commands a huddle and the way he steps up into the pocket where he can find his voids. That’s an experience thing.’’
Nix still has a ways to go. He misses some throws he shouldn’t. There are operational issues he still has to command – simple things like the team out of the huddle.
But better believe Payton is going to put his rookie quarterback in the best possible situations to succeed.
>>Video below: Bo Nix leading race for Broncos starting QB job