Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix is coming off perhaps his best day of training camp. Given that it came on a team-heavy day, it’s a good sign for the first-round pick’s chances of swiping the starting gig.
Coach Sean Payton likes what he’s seen so far from Nix’s development early in camp.
“We’ll see the tape and evaluate it, but I thought overall (he did) pretty well,” Payton said Wednesday, via The Denver Post. “There’s clips, plays that you’ll correct it and there’s others where you’re going to say, ‘Hey.’ … He ran with the ones and I like his progress.”
The Broncos entered camp giving Nix, Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson first-team reps. This week, Wilson seemed to have fallen off the first-team rotation. The last four practices (with an off day on Sunday) have gone Stidham (Saturday), Nix (Monday), Stidham (Tuesday), and Nix (Wednesday).
The rookie reportedly had one of his best days on the gridiron Wednesday. He made sharp throws, showed a developing rapport with his wideouts (particularly Josh Reynolds), and smoothed out some operational hiccups that plagued him earlier in camp.
Payton will likely take his time before announcing a Week 1 starter, giving Stidham a chance to earn the gig. However, signs since the draft have pointed to Payton riding his rookie. If Nix continues to stack positive days and shines in the preseason -- starting next Sunday, Aug. 11, vs. Indianapolis -- he’ll make the coach’s decision easy.