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Jeff Legwold, ESPN Senior Writer
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — With the race to be the Denver Broncos starting quarterback still underway, coach Sean Payton said Friday Jarrett Stidham will get the start in Sunday’s preseason opener in Indianapolis.
Payton was also quick to add rookie Bo Nix, who the team selected out of Oregon with the No. 12 pick overall in this past April’s draft, will then start the Aug. 18 preseason game against the Green Bay Packers in Denver’s Empower Field at Mile High. The Broncos and Packers will also hold a joint practice Aug. 16 at the Broncos’ suburban Denver complex.
Payton also said Friday that Nix may get a handful of plays with the starting offensive line Sunday against the Colts if the “pitch count” isn’t too high on the other starters in the game at the time.
“Stidham will start … Nix might get a final series in phase 1, we’ve got to see where we’re at rep-wise,” Payton said.
Over the last 11 practices, Stidham and Nix have continued to work through what is now a two-man race for the starting job. Zach Wilson was in a three-man rotation with the starters in the first week of training camp but was quickly moved out of that rotation. Nix and Stidham have split the work evenly with the starters since.
As to why he gave Stidham the nod for the preseason opener, Payton said: “I just think, right now, certainly he’s been here, his experience. Next week it’ll be Nix, but we’re focused on this game, just with where we’re at.”
Payton said he hoped the starting offense would get between 15 and 18 plays against the Colts.
“Really depends how the game unfolds,” Payton said. “…We just have got to see where we’re at.”
Stidham started the final two games of the 2023 season after Payton benched Russell Wilson. Nix was the sixth quarterback taken in the draft’s first round and the first rookie quarterback Payton has dealt with in a quarterback competition throughout his career as an NFL head coach.
Nix was also the earliest the Broncos have selected a quarterback since they took Jay Cutler at No. 11 in the 2006 draft.
Payton does not have a formal timetable to decide who will start the season Sept. 9 in Seattle, but he did say the rotation could change multiple times before the Broncos are too deep into training camp.