ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Those who know him best say there might not be anything that annoys Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton more than football entitlement, though the recent barrage of questions about when rookie Bo Nix would be named Denver’s starting quarterback might have rivaled that. But Payton resolved both annoyances by proclaiming Nix as the starter on Wednesday.
Payton kept the announcement about as low key as possible, telling all three of the team’s quarterbacks (Nix, Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson) individually right before Wednesday’s practice that Nix had won the competition.
“Right out here on the practice field, I just grabbed each one of them,” Payton said. “… [Nix] smiled, he was good, he was getting ready to practice. We didn’t have cake or candles or anything.”
Virtually from the moment the Broncos made Nix the No. 12 pick of this past April’s draft, Payton has said “we have a plan” about how things would go at quarterback. Nix was among the top quarterbacks on the Broncos’ draft board because of his potential to start as a rookie. Not because that was a pre-ordained requirement for their first-round pick, but because they had determined Nix had the exact profile they wanted.
They wanted maturity, composure and accuracy. They wanted a rhythm passer who would move the ball on time and not take sacks. And they wanted a player who, in their assessment, was a football grinder.
What Nix will be as an NFL quarterback and where the Broncos might go with him is still to be determined, but there’s no question that the 24-year-old Nix — who started 61 college games at Auburn and Oregon — checked every box Payton had. Those dots started to connect the evening of April 25, just after the Broncos had selected the QB.
“I would say that probably early into the process … he stood out in a lot of areas,” Payton said that night. “You pay close attention to all the film study. He’s played a lot of football, but sack differential, turnover differential, accuracy, third-down passing — [he was] first, first, first, first in this class …
“I would say his arm strength — we saw it at the pro day but even in the private workout — was very good. He’s super smart.”
Many of the Broncos defenders would agree with their coach given that more than one has said Nix is a “good look-off guy,” meaning he doesn’t give away his intended target with his eyes. Rather, he moves defenders with his eyes to come back to his real targets.
“He’s super, super efficient,” safety P.J. Locke said. “Man, I think he’s like a very seasoned rookie … the way he carries himself, the confidence he has.”
But Payton stayed true to his coaching roots, steeped and grown deeply in the tough-love environment of Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells. No matter how Payton initially felt about Nix, those who have coached with Payton know that he wouldn’t have preordained Nix as the Broncos’ starter simply because Nix had “first round” next to his name.
Nix wasn’t entitled at any point, as Payton did not hold Nix out of the Broncos’ two preseason games to date to shield him from contact. The process of practices, camp, competition and evaluation were part of the test to make sure Nix was worthy of the starting gig.
“I think that’s part of this process we’re talking about,” Payton said. “Everything in this league is earned, if there is someone that has something that is not earned that can impact your locker room, it really can … there is still that element of show and earn and demonstrate.”
The true competition with Nix and Stidham likely ended last week, when Nix was given most of the snaps with the starting offense in three consecutive full practices, including Friday’s joint practice with the Green Bay Packers. Nix then started Sunday’s preseason game against the Packers, finishing 8-of-9 passing for 80 yards and a touchdown in the Broncos’ 27-2 victory at Empower Field at Mile High.
In two preseason appearances, Nix led the Broncos to scores on six of the seven possessions he played. The Broncos had multiple first downs in every drive, mostly against reserves for both the Indianapolis Colts and the Packers.
Like in April, Payton sounded like he was talking about Nix as a starting quarterback after Sunday’s game even though he had not handed Nix the keys just yet.
“Well listen, he’s played well,” Payton said Sunday night when asked if Nix had done enough in the preseason to earn the starting job. “I’m not announcing any starting quarterback. … I’ll let you guys know when the time comes.”
That time came Wednesday, and now poise will be needed from everyone involved. Not just from Nix, but also from Payton — who is starting a rookie for the first time in a head-coaching career that dates to 2006 — and from a Broncos fanbase whose team is on its 13th starting quarterback since Peyton Manning retired after leading the Broncos to a Super Bowl 50 title at the conclusion of the 2015 season.
Nix will likely believe he is ready for what’s to come from the faithful in his new home city as well as the defenses on the Broncos’ schedule, but the unknown awaits.
Because, ready or not, he now has the job the Broncos picked him to have all along.