Bo Nix passed the joint-practice test; now it’s on to his first preseason start

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — For Bo Nix, Sunday’s preseason home opener brings forth the first of what he and the Denver Broncos hope will be many starts.

But it won’t bring a challenge quite like the one he faced Friday, going against an opponent’s No. 1 defense for the first time. Friday wasn’t without its bumpy moments, and a red-zone period during the session offered an example of the ebbs and flows that come with the moment.

Bo Nix started off by hitting Patrick for a 14-yard pass down the right sideline in front of Jaire Alexander; he found Patrick again for a short connection. His next pass saw a bullet to Courtland Sutton that was high and had too much on it; Sutton couldn’t corral it.

But overall, Nix’s process was good.

“It was definitely different playing against a different team in practice,” he said. “I liked it. I thought everything ran very smoothly with guys getting in and out of the huddle.”

And the apex of that smoothness came at the end of practice during the two-minute “move-the-ball” period. Bo Nix drove the No. 1 offense to a score after a pair of passes to Tim Patrick and another to Samaje Perine.

But the biggest thing for Nix was how deftly he ran the offense. His pass placement was generally on-point. He wasn’t flustered as a heavy pass rush bore down on him. He led his receivers well and kept the offense on-schedule, and he avoided the big mistake.

These aspects of Nix make his candidacy for the No. 1 job viable — and, it would seem, likely to succeed.

The highlight for Stidham came during the move-the-ball period at the end of practice. He guided the second-tea offense into scoring range with a pair of passes to Lil’Jordan Humphrey before a Frank Crum penalty knocked the offense back 5 yards.

Stidham received first-team snaps scattered throughout other team periods of the day, and acquitted himself well. Still, the job appears to be Bo Nix’s to lose.

So, how does he handle a situation in which all he can do within his control might not be enough?

“Me personally, I’ve just focused on every single day. It’s just kind of the person and player that I am,” Stidham said after practice. “I don’t really get caught up in what’s happening, or what is going to happen or anything like that. I have guys counting on me every single day to come out here and play really well.

“So, I’m really just focused on that, focused on doing my job and helping my guys go down the field and score a lot of points.”

Unlike Nix and Stidham, Zach Wilson did not get any “move-the-ball” work to end practice, and he had fewer overall repetitions than the other two quarterbacks during the day. Wilson will run “Phase Three” of the Broncos’ game against the Packers on Sunday, likely to take the field in the second half, as he did last Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.

Wilson made the most of his repetitions Friday. His decisions came quickly and were usually on-point. Given 33 career starts, Wilson ought to be able to dominate proceedings against a third-team defense, and he did.

“I think with each day of camp, I;m getting more and more consistent,” Wilson said. “I think that comes with just feeling more and more confident in myself and my abilities.

“I think I know where I can be, and I’m just going to keep working to get there.”