The Denver Broncos will open training camp this week and when that happens, all eyes will be on the quarterback position.
Rookie Bo Nix will share that spotlight with veterans Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson. Sean Payton will choose the player who gives the team the best chance to win as his starter, but that decision has already been made according to at least one former player who now works for NFL Network.
Though camp does not officially open until July 26, rookies have already reported. Nix gave his thoughts on the upcoming competition, expressing a desire to soak up as much as he can from his teammates while also "playing fast" when he gets his chance. He also described it as a respectful competition between the three quarterbacks.
Bo Nix talks Denver Broncos quarterback competition
In speaking with Aric DiLalla of the team's official website, Nix summed up what he expects the competition to look like:
"It's already here, and it started I guess the moment we knew we were all going to be on the same team. But I have great respect for those guys and we're competing at a very high level, but it's very respectful competition. I think we all want each other to succeed. We all know that we've come from different paths and had to overcome different adversities, and that's kind of what connects us in that. We're all helping each other, and it's been great to learn from those guys and experience some things that they've experienced.
And I think honestly, my job as a rookie is to soak up everything I can, especially from those guys. You know, Zach's played a lot and Stidham's played a lot of years. And so they've got — between the two — different situations, but a lot of knowledge, so that's what I'm excited to continue to learn in training camp. I think it's just overall healthy competition, a good competition and I think we're all going to be better coming out of it."
Nix also seems to have realistic expectations of how things will look now that he is at the pro level. Things likely won't come as easy as they did for him at Oregon, but he expects to be able to handle the pressure of being an NFL quarterback:
"I think it comes down to you're never going to avoid mistakes. So, you might as well go out there and play fast and do the best you can to avoid them and be smart. But, I mean, you're going to make mistakes every time. The big thing is minimizing them and making them small mistakes. So the mistake is … you messed up on a drop or getting the right read or maybe took a wrong step, but the play was efficient. You got it done. I think those are the better mistakes that you can learn from. And, obviously, the catastrophes you want to stay away from. But that's part of playing the position."
The Broncos will hold their first practice of camp July 26 at 10:00 am MT. They kick off their preseason schedule August 11 against the Indianapolis Colts.
