After two weeks of preseason action, the Denver Broncos have an easy decision to make — Bo Nix should be the starting quarterback.
Following a 27-2 win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night, though, Broncos coach Sean Payton was in no rush to announce a QB1 decision.
“Well listen, he’s played well,” Payton said when asked if Nix has done enough to win the starting job. “I’m not announcing any starting quarterback tonight. I’ll let you guys know when the time comes. I thought he played well. He had the one penalty which was, man right on the line, it’s tough. It’s good — it was a pretty heads up play. He did a good job at the line of scrimmage with some checks. You feel his comfort level as he continues to get used to the calls coming in and you kind of feel the poise when he’s playing and the other two the same way.
“I said this last week, ‘I like the room.’ So, their job is to lead their offense down the field and score points. They all had touchdown drives, but I thought he was sharp. Obviously, I think he was eight for nine [on completions]. He does a good job of distributing the football, understanding the zones, man-to-man, what coverage concepts we’re getting. Overall, I was pleased.”
Payton clearly likes what he’s seen from Nix, but we’re not getting an official announcement — yet. “We’re not there yet,” Payton said.
The coach was pushed twice more about the starting job before he put an end to questions about the topic.
“Alright putting the cap on the Bo questions right here,” Payton said. “The band sounds pretty good. I’m not dancing. Listen, there are a lot of things we did well as a team. I’m not announcing a starter, and I told you I’ll get with you when we do.”
Nix was asked after the game if he believes he’s done enough to win the starting job this summer.
“That’s not for me to decide,” the rookie said flatly.
Through two preseason games, Nix is 23-of-30 passing for 205 yards with two touchdown passes and no turnovers. He has also rushed six times for 29 rushing yards and he has not been sacked. Surely, Nix will be named the starting quarterback, perhaps later this week.
Denver will return to practice on Wednesday, so fans can probably expect to hear an official announcement by midweek.
