Bo Nix draws a Drew Brees comparison from Sean Payton

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Bo Nix did not get the first round of repetitions Saturday; Jarrett Stidham did. But the two quarterbacks effectively split the first-team work Saturday, serving as an unspoken example of what seems obvious: The race to be the Week 1 starter is down to Stidham and Nix.

And bit by bit, matters appear to be coming together for the rookie quarterback. The specifics of what defenders see in Nix — from P.J. Locke noting Nix’s ability to manipulate safeties to Ja’Quan McMillian pointing out how Nix adjusts to defuse a blitz — attest to the savvy that Nix possesses.

That is part of the advantage that comes with having as much starting experience as Nix accumulated in college.

Sean Payton made a Drew Brees comp when talking about Bo Nix today.

"You see, pretty good pocket sense, doesn't take a lot of sacks (with Nix)," Payton said. "Brees was one of those guys. He was a tough sack, ball came out and I think Bo has traits like that." pic.twitter.com/aTFIoXhN9f

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) August 3, 2024

But the comparison that Sean Payton lobbed after practice Saturday was enough to draw attention. When asked about Nix’s ability to handle pressure, Payton cited the quarterback he knew best — the future Hall of Famer, Drew Brees.

“You see pretty good pocket sense, doesn’t take a lot of sacks,” Payton said. “I think [Nix] knows when the play’s over, time to go, and then I think he can make plays when he’s going.

“So — I used to say this all the time, that the sack numbers are a reflection more on the quarterback than the offensive line. Brees was one of those guys. He just, he was a tough sack, ball came out and I think Bo has traits like that.”

Considering that the trait that caused Russell Wilson’s season to unravel under Payton was his propensity for drifting and spinning into sacks — and also that one of Stidham’s characteristics in his four NFL starts is higher-than-average frequency of sacks — that is a trait that, if it translates from practice, should put Bo Nix in good stead and on firm footing with his coach.

But for now, the No. 12 overall pick will continue to slug it out.

Jarrett Stidham received the first No. 1 snap of practice. His first six snaps of work culminated with a 15-yard pass to Josh Reynolds in front of Jonas Griffith down the right seam. He later had a touchdown pass to Michael Bandy wiped out by a Frank Crum hold, as the rookie tackle committed a penalty to avoid getting completely beaten by edge rusher Thomas Incoom.

Stidham’s decisions throughout the day were mostly solid as he worked with the No. 2 offense during a second team period and a red-zone period before returning to the top line for the final period of practice. He did hit Michael Brando There, he came through on a fourth-and-18, hitting Marvin Mims Jr. for a 23-yard gain to advance to the defense’s 29-yard line before time ran out.

But his best throw of the day wasn’t caught. Working with the No. 2 offense on a third-and-4 play, Stidham located Troy Franklin down the left sideline for what could have been a touchdown. Quinton Newsome was in coverage, but Franklin had space, and the pass was on-target. But Franklin, who has had a rough training camp but made a big play later with Zach Wilson, dropped the pass.

Perhaps the highlight of the day for Bo Nix came during the team red-zone period. Leading the No. 1 offense, he faced third-and-goal from the 3-yard line, from which he rolled out, escaped pressure from John Franklin-Myers and found a sliding Courtland Sutton in the right side of the end zone for a touchdown. That came one snap after pressure from Alex Singleton forced a throwaway.

Nix’s work in the move-the-ball period at the end of practice was torpedoed by a pair of dropped passes — one by Phillip Dorsett on first-and-10 and another by Nate Adkins on third-and-2. Those drops sandwiched an 8-yard screen pass to Jaleel McLaughlin in the left flat.

A fourth-down attempt to Lil’Jordan Humphrey failed, with Kris Abrams-Draine making a play on the ball. But had at least one of the drops been caught, the outcome might have been different.

For a second-straight day and fifth time in the last seven practices, Zach Wilson handled third-team snaps. He hasn’t seen a snap with the No. 1 offense since July 27. He found himself under pressure for

Wilson did get a chance in the move-the-ball period at the end of practice, and he delivered one of the nicest passes of the day, hitting Franklin for a 31-yard gain. But the drive petered out from there, as he had one pass batted down at the line of scrimmage and three incompletions, resulting in the drive petering out at the defense’s 13-yard line.