PORTLAND, Ore. — Bo Nix, who passed for a school-record 4,508 yards and 45 touchdowns his senior season at Oregon, has been named the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos, according to multiple reports. He's the first rookie quarterback to start for the Broncos in the regular-season opener since John Elway in 1983.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton told the Associated Press that he walked up to Nix before practice Wednesday and told him the starting position was his.
"He smiled," Payton said. "We were getting ready to practice, and that was it. You know, we didn't have cake and candles or anything like that."
The rookie signal caller was drafted with the 12th overall selection in the first round of the NFL Draft in April. Coming off a stellar senior campaign at Oregon, where he was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year and finished third in voting for the Heisman Trophy, Nix has impressed since he arrived in Denver, earning praise at the team's minicamp in May and then following that up with a dominant performance so far in preseason.
In two preseason games, Nix has thrown for 205 yards and two touchdowns while completing 76.7% of his passes. He's also rushed for 29 yards and has a quarterback rating of 116.7.
Payton said he was impressed by Nix's quick processor and his ability to navigate a "dirty pocket" when the pass rush closes in.
"You saw in every game he played (at Oregon) a dirty picket, a quick plant step, ball out accurately. And for some guys that's hard to do, they need a full stride and a clean pocket," Payton said. "He became a tough sack because the ball is out. Now, you have to go be able to process very quickly, too. You saw that on film."
Nix will start behind center in the Broncos' regular-season opener on Sept. 8 against the Seahawks in Seattle.
The former Oregon quarterback was competing against veteran Jarrett Stidham and former No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson. In preseason competition, Stidham threw for 102 yards and two interceptions (37 quarterback rating) and Wilson threw for 146 yards and one touchdown (104.3 quarterback rating).
The Broncos aren't expected to be good this season. They've missed the playoffs eight seasons in a row and Las Vegas has set Denver's over-under for wins at 5.5.
Arnie Stapleton of The Associated Press contributed to this report.