Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton announced his starting quarterback not only for the first preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, but also for the team's second preseason game against the Green Bay Packers.
To virtually no one's surprise, the starter for the preseason opener against the Colts will be Jarrett Stidham, the veteran of the group and a player who has been in the Payton offense for a year and a half at this point. Also to no one's surprise, the second preseason game will be started by rookie first-round pick Bo Nix, who will be making his starting debut in front of the home crowd.
Sean Payton says Bo Nix will be the “first phase” QB for the Packers game next week … meaning he will start.
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) August 9, 2024
So, Stidham starting the first game, Nix the second game.
Preseason games undoubtedly weigh a little more heavily in a position battle than practices because you finally get the opportunity to see these guys in real game situations, but it still feels like things are progression more toward Bo Nix being the starting quarterback at the beginning of the season.
Stidham undoubtedly has a chance to go out against the Colts and just light it up, which he very well could, but it has felt all along like the Broncos' goal was to get Nix into the lineup as quickly as possible. And this keeps them on track to do just that.
Not to diminish the fact that Stidham is starting the first preseason game, but doesn't it just feel like Nix starting the second preseason game gives the Broncos an easy on ramp for him to be the starter from that point forward? It would be extremely odd to see Nix out there starting against the Colts and then running with the second unit against the Packers.
As much as we've heard Sean Payton give high praise to Bo Nix all offseason, the Broncos haven't exactly handed him anything. The rookie has been working with the 1st-team offense since OTAs, and he's received the majority of 1st-team reps since the start of training camp. Everybody still expected Stidham to get the very first start of the preseason which will also give Nix the opportunity to play some more extensive snaps.
At this point, we don't know exactly how many snaps each quarterback is going to play, but Sean Payton said the game will be broken down into three "phases" with Stidham, Nix, and Zach Wilson all receiving reps.
The Broncos have a plan in place, and it doesn't feel like a succession plan. We'll get our first look at this new quarterback group on Sunday against the Colts where the Broncos will kick off their preseason at 11 AM MT.