Jarrett Stidham to Start Broncos’ 1st NFL Preseason Game over Bo Nix amid QB1 Battle
Zach BacharContributor IAugust 9, 2024
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Jarrett Stidham will start at quarterback for the Denver Broncos during the team’s first preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton announced that Stidham would receive the first-string job against the Colts and rookie Bo Nix will earn a start during Denver’s second preseason contest.
Nix, the No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, should also receive some playing time after Stidham exits against Indianapolis.
The Broncos’ Week 1 starter is up in the air, as Nix has been competing with Stidham and Zach Wilson for the job. Denver’s first unofficial depth chart was released by the team on Tuesday, with Stidham starting and Nix at No. 3 behind Wilson.
Still, the depth chart is hardly set in stone and can change if Nix wraps up a strong preseason performance. The former Oregon standout has already impressed his teammates in training camp.
“He’s doing great,” tight end Adam Trautman said about Nix, per USA Today’s Jon Heath. “People talk about all the games he started in college. I think that truly means something. You see it in the way he commands a huddle and the way he steps up into the pocket where he can find his voids.”
FOX College Football @CFBONFOXOHHH MYYY 😳
This throw was wild from Bo Nix for @oregonfootball 😤 pic.twitter.com/m8TpePCP45
While the 24-year-old is behind Wilson on the depth chart, he alternated first-team reps with Stidham throughout the first week of training camp. ESPN’s Jeff Legwold reported on July 26 that “many in the league” believe that Payton has been positioning to start Nix to begin the regular season since he was drafted.
After starting two regular-season games for the Broncos in 2023, Stidham will earn the first start of preseason in 2024. However, Nix could still end up securing the first-string role by looking comfortable under center when he opens the team’s second preseason contest.
