Sunday will feature the final two games of Week 1 of the 2024 NFL preseason. The first of those two games will be the Indianapolis Colts facing the Denver Broncos.
This game could feature the debut of Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix — if Denver lets him play.
Is Bo Nix Playing vs. Colts?
Nix, the No. 12 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, will officially make his NFL debut on Sunday. However, it won’t come as the team’s starter.
According to head coach Sean Payton, Nix will work with the second team, while Jarrett Stidham, who ended 2023 as the Broncos’ starter, will get the nod. Zach Wilson will follow both of them as the third-string quarterback.
“I just think, right now, certainly [Stidham has] been here,” Payton said.
Payton also added that he expects the Broncos’ starting units to play 15-20 snaps. Nix will then make his debut.
“We’ll play three phases,” Payton said. “It’s pretty common. We’ll pay attention to really more of the plays than quarters. The first phase will be somewhere between 15 and 20 [plays], ideally. Stidham will start in Phase 1. Nix will be in Phase 2. And then Zach will be in Phase 3. Nix might get the final series in Phase 1. We’ve just got to see where we’re at rep-wise.”
While Nix won’t get the start, there is still a chance he will get some reps with the starting offense. According to Payton, it “really depends on how the game unfolds” in Indianapolis.
While Nix won’t start against the Colts, he will get the start in Week 2 of the preseason against the Green Bay Packers.
“Next week, it’ll be Nix,” Payton said. “But we’re focused on this game.”
If Nix is to start Week 1 of the regular season, he would be the first rookie Week 1 starter at quarterback for the Broncos since John Elway in 1983.
Nix was able to thrust his name into the first round of the draft after the best season of his college career in 2023.
He’d never thrown more than 16 touchdowns in a season during his three years with the Auburn Tigers, but in 2022, Nix joined Oregon and threw for 3,593 yards, 29 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He topped that in 2023, throwing for 4,508 yards, 45 touchdowns, and three interceptions — all career highs. He also had a 77.4% completion percentage and led the Ducks to a 12-2 record.
On the Broncos, Nix will likely fill the role that Russell Wilson left when he was released and signed with Pittsburgh. While Wilson had a good career, he and Payton could never mesh, especially with his play style. Simply, Payton wanted someone who could distribute the ball like Drew Brees used to do. While Nix isn’t Brees, his play style is similar.