ENGLEWOOD, Colo — Bo Nix was the quarterback with the No. 1 offense Thursday at the Broncos' OTA practice.
Don't read into it, at least not yet.
Broncos' head coach Sean Payton said Jarrett Stidham was the No. 1 QB on Tuesday, the first day of OTAs. Zach Wilson was the top QB for the second OTA on Wednesday. Nix, the first-round rookie, worked with the top group Thursday.
"We go by what we see,'' Payton said in explaining the process of picking a season-opening quarterback against Seattle on Sept. 8. "We're trying to get them as many reps as possible. We rotate. We're rotating all of them right now. ... We'll keep doing that right now.''
Payton later referred to his three quarterbacks as "orphaned dogs." He was referring to how all three came from different homes. Stidham previously played for the Patriots and Raiders, Wilson with the Jets, and even the rookie Nix played for two college programs, Auburn and Oregon.
While it's not unusual for Stidham as the incumbent to get first crack at working with the No. 1 offense, it's perhaps telling that Nix is already getting work with the first stringers. First-round draft picks are often held back until the second week of training camp before they are moved into a starting position. That Nix is already getting work with the top guys could mean he'll be the starter sooner rather than later this season.
“He’s farther along than most,'' Payton said of Nix. "We’re talking about a player who has played 61 games. He’s extremely smart. He’s picked it up very quickly.”
Stidham had been the Broncos' undisputed No. 1 quarterback through most of the offseason. Then in a four-day span April 23-27 the Broncos acquired Wilson, a former No. 2 overall draft pick, from the Jets, and selected Nix with their No. 12 overall pick in the first round.
“I’ve dealt with this before when I was in New England with Mac Jones,'' Stidham said. Jones was the Patriots' first-round draft pick in 2021. "It’s a business and I totally understand it, but at the same time, I’m here to compete. I’m not going to just sit down and let someone else walk in here and… I’m going to work my butt off to get the job. I’m super excited about it.”
Wilson spoke to the Denver media for the first time since the trade from New York.
“Obviously, there are bittersweet moments in everything,'' he said. "I am grateful for my experiences there and the guys—I miss the guys out there and everything, too. At the same time, a fresh start is good, and I’m excited to attack the new challenge.”
Not participating in the OTA practice Thursday:
- Courtland Sutton, WR
- D.J. Jones, DT
- Jonathan Franklin-Myers, DL
- Greg Dulcich, TE
- Dellarin Turner-Yell, safety
- Caden Sterns, safety
- Drew Sanders, LB
The last four were injury related. Sutton's absence is contract related.
"There isn't any concern. Here's why,'' Payton said. "Courtland, he’s a tremendous worker. You guys know him. A tremendous makeup, leader of our team. That will sort itself out.”
Jones was sick. The defensive tackle has otherwise been attending the Broncos' offseason program even if he is in a precarious contract situation this year. He is in the final year of a three-year contract that is supposed to pay him $10 million, but none of it is guaranteed.
Franklin-Myers was dealing with a personal matter at his offseason home in Texas.
Also, star cornerback Pat Surtain II participated in the stretch portion of practice but then he was held out as a precaution because of a minor leg muscle pull. And rookie running back Audric Estime left practice about halfway through with appeared to be a leg pull injury.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Sports