Bo Nix fares ‘pretty well’ as QBs get third-down test

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — When Sean Payton was first asked about Bo Nix at his post-practice press conference Wednesday, he quickly shifted gears to talk about wide receiver Josh Reynolds.

“Look, the guy that jumped out was Josh Reynolds. I mean, shoot, he had three or four catches that were something else,” Payton said. ” I’ll have a chance to look at the film and then see how each one of those quarterbacks did.

It was understandable, given that Reynolds not only had multiple catches to move the chains, but had one such reception during a team period at the expense of 2022 All-Pro selection Pat Surtain.

When asked about Nix a few minutes later, Payton said the rookie did “pretty well,” although he would have to evaluate the film later.

Sean Payton on Bo Nix's day running the No. 1 offense, which he thought went "pretty well": "A lot of the work was third down … I do have to watch the film because I'm looking at so much. He ran with the ones, and I like his progress." pic.twitter.com/PyfAoEGcrA

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) July 31, 2024

“He ran with the ones, and I like his progress,” Payton said.

After an incompletion on his first team-period repetition off of a play-action fake, Bo Nix began to settle in two snaps later — and he showed no hesitation about going into the teeth of the secondary

When Nix saw Reynolds with a step on Surtain as he ran a crossing route, Nix fired a strike that set up for a long gain — a 15-yard pass followed by an opportunity to accumulate yardage after the catch. Nix hit Greg Dulcich for a 10-yard connection on a second-down play one snap later.

The Nix-to-Reynolds connection returned on the second round of team-period repetitions, as Nix fired a precise strike to the willowy wide receiver near the sideline, just beating Ja’Quan McMillian in coverage.

Then, it was time for third-down work. During Nix’s first round of third-down snaps, the offense went 1-for-4, only converting on a Jaleel McLaughlin run made possible when Ben Powers sealed Zach Allen, giving the second-year running back a lane through which he sprinted. Nix completed a pair of passes in that period, but both were short of the line to gain.

It went better for Bo Nix in the next round of third-down repetitions, as the offense moved the chains via completions to Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Courtland Sutton, with Sutton going low for the long reception that moved the chains.

After three-straight days guiding the No. 3 offense following a July 27 run with the first team, Zach Wilson worked with the second unit, and his day got off to a rough start before he found his footing.

Wilson had a pair of incompletions in his first round of team-period repetitions, although one of them would have likely been a sack in a game situation had rookie nose tackle Jordan Miller not pulled up.

There were moments of hesitancy from Wilson at times, but he also did well under duress during one of the repetitions in his initial third-down period. Facing third-and-6, Wilson avoided a blitzing Cody Barton and threaded the needle to Michael Bandy for a gain of at least 11 yards.

Just as Reynolds bolstered Nix’s efforts, he did the same for Wilson, grabbing a 25-yard pass down the left sideline on a third-and-4 play during the final period of practice. The offense converted 2-of-4 third-down tries during that series of snaps with Wilson at quarterback, giving him a solid end to the day.

After guiding the first-team offense Tuesday, Stidham guided the No. 3 offense, which saw some adjustment after the injury to Quinn Bailey forced some tweaks. That meant Alex Palczewski — the second-team right tackle — also worked on the third unit at right guard, and Stidham found himself under pressure behind the reshuffled line.

During the final period, Stidham’s work was highlighted by a pair of completions, one to Bandy — albeit on a play that could have been ruled a sack — and another to Phillip Dorsett. But Stidham also had a pass knocked down at the line of scrimmage by Elijah Garcia. That came one day after Stidham had two passes batted at the line during the final period of Tuesday’s work.