Broncos Can't Make This Mistake With Rookie QB Bo Nix

If Bo Nix is who Sean Payton thinks he is, he'll win the Denver Broncos' starting quarterback job.

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix at rookie minicamp. / Ben Swanson/Denver Broncos

Denver Broncos training camp gets underway this week and the obvious top story of training camp is the quarterback competition. The Broncos parted ways with Russell Wilson, retained Jarrett Stidham, traded for Zach Wilson, and drafted Bo Nix with the 12th overall pick.

While it remains to be seen who wins the starting job, one hope is clear: Nix becomes the long-term guy.

The question is whether the Broncos should just go for broke and name Nix the starter now or let things play out in training camp. While there's a strong case for the rookie to open the season as QB1, that doesn't mean he should be named the starter right now.

The main reason why teams shouldn't automatically anoint a rookie the starter on the first day of training camp is simple: You want the rookie to get the message that he has to earn the job.

Whether it's having the rookie compete for the starting job or having him compete for the backup job behind an established starter, the best thing for any rookie, regardless of how he's drafted, is to make it clear he needs to earn his spot. In doing so, you do a better job of ensuring that he doesn't let his draft status go to his head.

One can make a good case that Paxton Lynch let his draft status go to his head, even as the Broncos anointed him the backup while Mark Sanchez and Trevor Siemian competed for the starting job. While there was no guarantee that Lynch would have panned out if he had been thrust into a competition, he at least got the message that he hasn't earned anything simply because he was a first-round pick.

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It's easy to point to Drew Lock and how things went with him, but two factors affected him as a rookie. First, his thumb injury, and second, the uncertainty as to whether then-head coach Vic Fangio thought he was the guy.

With Nix, it's not hard to figure out that he's Sean Payton's guy. But Payton should still ensure Nix earns the job. Payton's approach to Nix simply needs to be this: "I believe you can be the guy but it's up to you to show me."

By all means, Nix should get the opportunity to take snaps with the first team, including starting a preseason game. But Broncos fans shouldn't worry about keeping track of how many snaps he gets with the first team. What they should keep track of is how he makes progress with his play.

It's possible to get a good analysis of a player's progress even if he's not getting first-team snaps all the time. You want the player to have the opportunity to get them if he shows he might be the guy, but you can still learn plenty from every snap.

If Nix demonstrates by the second preseason game that he should be the starter, then the Broncos should bite the bullet. But by having demonstrated that, he'll have earned the starting job.

To Nix's credit, he has been saying the right things and has shown potential. But as we get closer to the start of the regular season, the spotlight will grow. How Nix handles that, and how he progresses throughout training camp and the preseason, will tell us more about whether he deserves that starting gig.

Again, it's fine to name him the starter for Week 1 of the regular season if he proves he deserves it. But the key is that he prove himself — and the best way to get him to do that is to make it clear he needs to earn that Week 1 start.

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