DENVER, COLORADO - JANUARY 08: Drew Lock #3 of the Denver Broncos celebrates his rushing touchdown with Courtland Sutton #14 during the second quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field At Mile High on January 08, 2022 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
The Broncos have selected their preferred successor to Russell Wilson in the first round of the 2024 draft. Bo Nix is poised to lead Denver’s offense during his rookie contract, but that doesn’t guarantee immediate playing time this season.
Denver’s decision to part ways with Wilson, along with the recent release of Ben DiNucci, has left the team with three quarterbacks. Nix joins offseason trade acquisition Zach Wilson and returning quarterback Jarrett Stidham. Stidham is the only one with experience playing under head coach Sean Payton.
A report earlier this month confirmed that Stidham is expected to start OTAs with the Broncos’ first-team offense, which comes as no surprise. The 27-year-old started two games last year after Wilson was benched and will have a chance to earn the starting spot for Week 1 depending on evaluations of Nix and Wilson over the summer. Payton recently stated that both quarterbacks will get plenty of opportunities.
“We’ll figure it out,” Payton said during minicamp about the quarterback rotation once training camp starts in July (via ESPN’s Jeff Legwold). “With young guys, reps are important. We’ll have a rotation and go from there.”
Wilson struggled during his time with the Jets, and despite being slated for backup duties in 2023, he was thrust back into starting action due to Aaron Rodgers’ injury. Wilson did not progress compared to his previous seasons, and New York traded him to Denver as part of a Day 3 pick swap. He has one year left on his rookie contract, with the Broncos paying half of his salary per the trade terms.
Most of the attention at Broncos’ camp will be on Nix. The Auburn and Oregon product made a record-breaking 61 starts in college, and he is likely closer to his NFL ceiling than many other quarterbacks selected within the draft’s first 12 picks. Payton and the coaching staff were frequently linked to Nix during the pre-draft process, and the Broncos ranked him as their third-best quarterback prospect.
Given the Broncos’ struggles in finding a true successor to Peyton Manning, they will be content with any of their internal options taking charge in the upcoming quarterback competition in the short term. It will be intriguing to see how Nix compares to Stidham and Wilson and how quickly he takes over depending on their performances.
