Rookie Bo Nix Gets First-Team Reps For Broncos, Quite The Elevation By Sean Payton

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Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton made it clear that he wasn't a huge fan of veteran quarterback Russell Wilson last season and then pulled a bit of a surprise when he drafted Oregon QB Bo Nix with the 12th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. 

Some draft analysts felt like Nix was more of a second-or-third round player, but the Broncos desperately needed a quarterback to replace Wilson. 

So, they elected to take Nix. But Payton seemingly didn't want to just hand the starting job over to the rookie, giving him third-team reps last month during minicamp. 

Jarrett Stidham, who replaced Wilson in Week 17 last year, took first-team reps in June. Zach Wilson, who the Broncos acquired following his disastrous tenure with the New York Jets, handled the second-team reps. 

Well, to start training camp, it appears that Nix has done enough to impress Denver Broncos coaches to earn more runs with the starters. 

Stidham saw the majority of first-team reps on Wednesday, but Nix got his shot on Thursday. Predictably, the Broncos media rushed to post his highlights on social media. 

See, the key to covering Sean Payton is to be really nice to him all the time. Payton is great with the media, which is why they always cover for him. 

Even though he's arguably the most overrated coach in the NFL. But I digress. 

Denver has one of the most intriguing quarterback battles in all of football. Not because the Broncos have three great options, but because they have three mediocre (at best) options. 

Rookie QB Bo Nix, who got third-team reps last month, saw first-team action for Sean Payton at Thursday's practice.

(Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Ultimately, it probably doesn't matter who wins the Denver Broncos starting quarterback job. They're not nearly in the same league as Kansas City and they're likely worse than the Los Angeles Chargers. 

At best, the Broncos are the 9th-best team in the AFC. Still, surely many media members will proclaim that Payton, regardless of the results, is a genius. 

It's nice to be the "Golden Boy." 

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Dan began his sports media career at ESPN, where he survived for nearly a decade. Once the Stockholm Syndrome cleared, he made his way to OutKick. He is secure enough in his masculinity to admit he is a cat-enthusiast with three cats, one of which is named "Brady" because his wife wishes she were married to Tom instead of him.