Bill Belichick sounds note of caution on naming Bo Nix starter

Bo Nix appears to have done enough to earn the starting-quarterback job for the Denver Broncos based on his work to date in training-camp practices, preseason games and the joint practice with the Green Bay Packers last Friday.

But Bill Belichick offered a reminder on Monday: Once the Broncos go to Bo Nix, there is no going back.

“What you don’t want to do is you don’t want to put a rookie quarterback in there (before he’s ready),” Belichick said on The Pat McAfee Show. “For example here, what I don’t think you want to do is put Bo in there and then after three or four games, find out you need to take him out and put [Jarrett Stidham] back in there and go that way.

“I don’t think that would work. I think that just creates a lot of confusion and I really don’t think that’s what you want to do.”

"Sean Payton is gonna go with Bo Nix when he feels like he's ready to go..

If you're sure Bo Nix is the guy then you go with him but you don't turn back..

You just stay with him all the way through"

Bill Belichick #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/re9dqhhJvU

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 19, 2024

One aspect of an argument that could be made for Stidham as starter is the idea that if the Broncos started slow, Sean Payton could mash the eject button on the 6-year veteran to try to galvanize the Broncos with a change to Nix.

Starting Nix from the get-go would prevent that.

“I’d say once Sean’s sure that Bo is ready to go and he knows that this is the direction and he’s ready and, and he just needs some reps out there and it’ll continue to get better, then I think he’ll make that move,” Belichick said.

But Belichick also poured some cold water on Nix’s performance Sunday.

“Look, he’s played well in preseason, but it’s preseason,” Belichick said. “The coverage is simple, but he’s delivered the ball well. He got it out on time.

“He sees the field well. He’s done a good job of taking care of the ball. He’s done a good job of extended some plays and making good decisions with the ball in his hands under some pressure. But again, it’s, it’s against very vanilla defenses.”

“… But he’s obviously done a good job. I mean, he’s gotten in there and played very well in a couple of preseason games, so that doesn’t surprise me. He’s played a lot of good football in his career.”

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