Since the retirement of Peyton Manning in 2016, the Denver Broncos have shuffled through a carousel of different quarterbacks in a desperate search to find someone to lead their franchise. With the 12th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Broncos selected Oregon quarterback Bo Nix.
The Broncos and their fans are desperate to find a franchise quarterback, and hope that Nix ends up being just that. After Nix's successful first preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts, fans saw a glimpse of hope for a positive future.
After leading the offense on multiple scoring drives and an eventual win, Nix took the time postgame to evaluate his first NFL game experience, via team reporter Aric DiLalla.
“It was a good day,” said Nix. “I thought we ran the ball efficiently, made some good plays in the pass game, converted some third downs, got points when we needed to. It was a good job going into half with points and coming out with points. I felt like that was a good point in the game. But overall, I felt like we did a good job. Huge team win.”
Nix wouldn't play the entire game, but put up a respectable stat line of 15-for-21 passing, 125 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. Despite being a rookie in his first pro game, Nix showed a remarkable amount of poise. In some instances he had to evade pass rushers, and used his feet to scramble for extra yards.
“I felt pretty good today,” Nix said when asked about his mobility. “When we executed well, guys were in the right spots, and we moved the ball efficiently a lot of the day, and that usually turns into points. And so when you get your points in a game like that, when it's kind of going back and forth, it's always good.”
Bo Nix impresses his Broncos coaches and teammates
Fans weren't the only ones to notice Nix's impressive play. Head coach Sean Payton told reporters that he was pleased with how Nix performed, as well as Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson.
“All three of those guys I thought did a good job,” said Payton.
While the starters didn't play much throughout the game, wide receiver Courtland Sutton still got to play a few sequences with Nix at the helm.
“I think he handled it very well,” Sutton said of Nix. “[He] had a lot of poise, a lot of control. The moment wasn't too big for him. The moments are only going to get bigger. The preseason games don't count, but come Week 1, whoever they decide to put out there as our starter, they're going to have to handle that situation the best they possibly can.”
With all three Broncos quarterbacks performing well against the Colts, the quarterback battle in Denver will continue. However, according to fans, it seems like the starting quarterback spot may already be Nix's. While it has only been one game, the offense seemed more dynamic with Nix. Nix's ability to use his legs, on top of his insane arm strength, makes him seem like the leading candidate in the competition.
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