It’s not just about preseason game time for Bo Nix and Jarrett Stidham

INDIANAPOLIS — Regarding Jarrett Stidham and Bo Nix, one thing was unsaid Friday when Sean Payton addressed his preseason plan for the quarterback position over the next eight days.

Who will be the No. 1 quarterback for next Friday’s joint practice against the Green Bay Packers?

Jarrett Stidham receiving the start against the Indianapolis Colts here Sunday isn’t a surprise. Just as was the case for Drew Lock in 2021 in the competition with Teddy Bridgewater, Stidham has incumbency on his side. And beyond that, there is the experience in the offense, which has helped him appear settled.

“For me at this point it’s not so much more about what we’re doing, it’s more so like, ‘All right what’s the defense doing?'” Stidham said. “Last year I’d call a play and I’m thinking, ‘OK, so I called this. My read is here to here,’ but now it’s more like second nature so I’m able to focus more on the defense and what they’re doing.

Sean Payton asked what led to the decision to start Stidham on Sunday … he mentions in his answer that Bo Nix will start next week vs. Green Bay: pic.twitter.com/nEK3PmHeeY

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) August 9, 2024

“… I’m able to focus more on what the defense is doing to us versus on what we’re doing to them.”

Meanwhile, Bo Nix sits in a different spot because this is his first time through.

Broncos offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi says “comfort level” is the area in which Bo Nix has grown the most in the last two weeks.

“He’s everything that you hope for just with his intelligence and the way that he studies and prepares. …” pic.twitter.com/dImn8Y0GhZ

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) August 8, 2024

“He’s everything that you hope for just with his intelligence and the way he studies and prepares,” offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said. “It’s really just the comfort level when you give him a play and it’s new and the defense has a new install, there’s a little bit of — not as much confidence when he gets it and you look in his eyes.”

But that changes fast.

“And then after a couple days, when you’re running the same plays, you just feel like he’s a veteran,” Lombardi said.

COULD THE STATUS OF JARRETT STIDHAM AND BO NIX BE IMPACTED BY A PRACTICE?

Packers coach Matt LaFleur does not have a history of utilizing his first-teamers in preseason game. But he went against that trend Saturday, sending quarterback Jordan Love and most of his No. 1 units — on offense and defense — for the Packers’ preseason opener at Cleveland.

But that seems likely to be it for preseason-game play for Green Bay’s first-teamers.

“Right now I don’t anticipate those guys playing versus Denver — the majority of the starters,” LaFleur told media aftrer the game. “There might be a select few, but I think what we’re going to do just because we have a competitive practice versus the Broncos, use that as their game reps and let the other guys play for the most part in that second preseason game.

Thus, when it comes to work against a No. 1 unit, the only chance of that comes Friday at Broncos Park Powered By CommonSpirit. Not Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High.

To be certain, Nix receiving the second start of the preseason is significant. So, too, is the fact that Payton left open the possibility of Nix getting a series of work in what he called “Phase One” of Sunday’s game agains the Colts.

But if Jarrett Stidham gets the first-team repetitions against the Packers’ No. 1 defense on Friday, that could be a checkmark in his favor.

And whether he gets that could ride on what the quarterbacks do Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.