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The Denver Broncos have an interesting quarterback battle on their hands after drafting Bo Nix in the first round and trading for Zach Wilson, both who will compete with Jarrett Stidham for the starting role.
But as ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported during Sunday’s SportsCenter, Nix has turned some heads thus far:
“I’m told that he really has impressed, just beyond the normal talk about rookies coming along and playing well. I’m told that around traffic in the pocket with defensive linemen flying around him, he’s delivered the ball calmly and accurately. I’m told that has stood out to the Broncos and he’s shown a lot of maturity; those 61 collegiate starts have shown up. So, this is a long quarterback battle—Stidham involved, Wilson, but Nix has made an early compelling case. We’ll see if he can ride that momentum going into late July, early August. Good signs so far.”
The Broncos used the No. 12 overall pick to select Nix, making him the sixth quarterback off the board in the first round behind Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Michael Penix Jr. and J.J. McCarthy.
The 24-year-old truly thrived after transferring to Oregon ahead of the 2022 season, throwing for 8,101 yards, 74 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions in two seasons. He completed 71.9 percent of his passes in 2022 and 77.4 percent in 2023.
Chris Tomasson @christomasson
#Broncos WR Courtland Sutton says on DNVR Sports on QB Bo Nix he “reached out to him after he got drafted.” Said he gave him some “insight” entering rookie year Said, “I think Bo brings a lot of good qualities to our team… I’m looking forward getting out there to work with him”
Neither Wilson or Stidham, meanwhile, has ever proven capable of effectively leading an NFL offense.
The 24-year-old Wilson has a 12-21 career record, throwing for 23 touchdowns and 25 interceptions while completing just 57 percent of his passes. His three seasons with the New York Jets were a major disappointment, namely in 2023, when he was called into relief duty for the injured Aaron Rodgers and was one of the main reasons the talented team messed the postseason.
Stidham, 27, has only made four starts in his NFL career (1-3), throwing for 1,422 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions in total while completing only 59.4 percent of his passes. The fact that he hasn’t been able to ever consistently hold down a starting job during his five NFL seasons doesn’t bode well for his chances to win Denver’s quarterback battle.
In reality, if Nix is even decent during training camp and the preseason, he should win the starting job without much fuss. Stidham was never going to be anything more than a placeholder and Wilson was added as a flier, but Nix is truly the future of the franchise if he lives up to the potential that made the Broncos select him with a first-round pick.
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