After nearly a month of training camp and two preseason games, Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton had seen enough.
Bo Nix was the obvious choice to start at quarterback after outperforming Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson this summer. Payton made the news official on Wednesday, announcing Nix as Denver’s new QB1.
Congratulations, Bo.
“Thank you, I appreciate it,” Nix said after Wednesday’s practice. “It was really cool. It’s not every day [you] get that news. Obviously, as a room, we’ve been working hard, putting a lot of good things on film and putting a lot of good things on the practice field. To get that news is definitely a great thing. So I’m super excited and ready to get back to work again. Go back to it and start again.”
The Broncos will wrap up preseason at home against the Arizona Cardinals this weekend, then attention will turn to their regular season opener against the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 8. When Nix lines up under center in that game, he will become Denver’s first rookie quarterback to start in Week 1 since John Elway in 1983.
“It will be a special moment,” Nix said. “Obviously, that’s great to share with such a great player like John Elway, but definitely want to consider going out there and doing whatever I can do ultimately for the team.
“It doesn’t matter when your first start is and doesn’t matter if you have to wait or go right now. You just want to get out there, get the first win, ultimately compete at a high level and give your team the best chance possible. That is what my goal is at the beginning. Just give our team the best chance to go out there and win games every week.”
Payton has not yet announced if Nix will play in the team’s preseason finale on Sunday. If not, Broncos fans won’t see Nix on the field again for 17 days. After eight years of football purgatory, fans in Denver surely can wait a few more weeks before the on-field unveiling of Payton’s new QB1.
