How is quarterback Bo Nix enjoying his first NFL training camp with the Denver Broncos?
“It’s a blast,” Nix said on Saturday. “The NFL’s a lot of fun. I’m so excited to be here. I’m part of a great team. We have a great culture, great staff. I mean, it’s hard not to love where I’m at right now.
“Also not complacent, so the joy and the enthusiasm you see on the field, it’s all about: What can I do to make this team better no matter what position I’m in? And so that’s, I think, my greatest joy is that I get to go out here every day and make a team better, and that’s a lot of fun, and I think we all have that mindset, and that’s why we’re going to have a good football team.”
Denver acquired Nix with the 12th selection in the NFL Draft on April 25 from Oregon, where he played for two seasons after three seasons at Auburn.
Denver released nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson in March, then traded for Zach Wilson and drafted Nix to join Jarrett Stidham as the candidates to fill the vacancy.
Also a former Auburn quarterback, Stidham started Denver’s final two games of 2023. He’s played in 16 games and started four in his five NFL seasons.
Wilson entered the NFL as the second player picked in the 2021 draft and started 33 games for the Jets.
“I feel like we have a great, healthy competition going on,” Nix said. “It’s good to be in a room with those guys. I learn so much from them. I pick up a lot of information from them day-by-day, really play-by-play. Sitting in meetings with them is great, and watching them on the field is great. We got great relationships already, and we continue to build those.”
With 61 starts at Auburn and Oregon, Nix has more than any other NCAA FBS quarterback.
“No matter what stage you’re on, you’re in a competition with yourself,” Nix said. “And so I think as I move forward no matter what year, whether I’ve had experience, whether it’s my first time this year or whatever, I’m always competing with myself. If I compete with myself at a high standard, no matter who’s around me, they’re going to get my best. But at the same time competing with yourself, it’s a daily quest for success.
“If I achieve my personal best, then I’m not only doing the team a favor, but I’m doing those guys that are competing against me a favor because they’re getting my best. That’s all I can do, and that’s what I’m going to continue to do. Competition is the main point of life, so that’s why I enjoy doing it.”
The Broncos have had four full-team practices at training camp.
“Nothing to report right now,” Denver coach Sean Payton said on Saturday when asked about the quarterback competition. “Those guys are working hard. They’re competing. I’m not going to give daily updates, weekly updates. There’ll be a time when you see the rotation begin to change in a certain way, and at some point, it’ll clear itself up. But nothing to report right now.”
At Pinson Valley High School, Nix led the Indians to consecutive AHSAA Class 6A championships. Nix set AHSAA career records for yards of total offense and touchdown responsibility and was an All-State selection in 2017 and 2018. In his senior season, he also was selected as Alabama’s Mr. Football and the Class 6A Back of the Year by the Alabama Sports Writers Association.
Nix is accustomed to playing. What if he doesn’t emerge from the competition as Denver’s No. 1 quarterback?
“I don’t necessarily want to become complacent,” Nix said, “and say, ‘You know what? It’s my rookie year. I’m OK with sitting back and hanging out and learning.’ I have full confidence and trust in these coaches and this team. They’ll play me when I’m ready, and I’m going to do my best to get ready. And so that’s all I can do, but I also think you owe it and respect the other guys in the competition. They also want to be the starter, too, and they also are going to have to accept what happens.”
The Broncos begin their three-game preseason schedule on Aug. 11 against the Indianapolis Colts and kick off their regular-season slate on Sept. 8 against the Seattle Seahawks.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
