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has been with the for only a few months, but he's already made a strong impre sion on his teammates.His poise is one reason why. It's a byproduct of entering the as the most seasoned quarterback prospect ever, one with an NCAA-record 61 career starts.According to Denver tight end , the 24-year-old NIx's experience comes acro s on the field."You see it in the Duke Dawson Jr. Jersey way he commands a huddle and the way he steps up into the pocket where he can find his voids,"Trautman told SI.com. "That's an experience thing. A lot of guys coming out might not have that because they played in like 20 or 30 games in college ."ADVERTISEMENT But will Nix's poise and experience be enough to make him Denver's QB1 for the regular-season opener at Seattle?That's the big question as the Broncos start preseason play Sunday against the . The quarterback competition between Nix, veteran incumbent and former No. 2 overall pick who were all splitting first-team reps as recently as the first week of training camp has reportedly been whittled down to the former two.Team observers have speculated that Nix has started to edge Stidham, but coach Sean Payton has made no official announcement. In fact, he has set no formal timetable to make the call on his QB1.On the Broncos' first unofficial depth chart released Tuesday, Nix was listed as the third-string QB, with Stidham and Wilson as the starter and top backup, respectively.As the 12th overall pick, though, Nix is seen as the Broncos' hopeful franchise quarterback.It's a matter of when, not if, he'll become the starter in 2024."I don't know if I have a choice on that one Bryce Callahan Jersey . If I want to stick around, I better accept it," Nix said when asked if he'd be prepared to be the backup. "But I also don't nece sarily want to become complacent and say, 'You know what, it's my rookie year, I'm OK with sitting back and learning.'"They'll play me when I'm ready, so I'm going to do my best to get ready."Denver released in March, le s than two years after trading for and extending the veteran to a mammoth five-year, $245 million contract. That debacle officially thrust the franchise back into quarterback purgatory.Since Peyton Manning retired after the 2015 season, when Denver beat the in Super Bowl 50, the Broncos have had 12 different quarterbacks 13 players overall open a game under center. They've mi sed the playoffs for eight consecutive years.Dan Lanning: Why Bo Nix will make a smooth transition to NFL The hope is that fortunes change with Nix, the first rookie first-round quarterback Payton has had in 18 seasons as a head coach.After three up and down seasons at , Nix emerged as one of college football's top quarterbacks the past two years at . He completed 77.4% of his pa ses for 4,508 yards and 45 touchdowns against just three interceptions for the Ducks in 2023 Melvin Gordon III Jersey .Payton has been complimentary of Nix's ability to evade pre sure. He took just 12 sacks in his last two college seasons combined."You see pretty good pocket sense," Payton told local reporters. "He doesn't take a lot of sacks. I think he knows when the play's over, time to go. And then I think he can make plays when he's going. I used to say all the time that the sack numbers are more a reflection on the quarterback than the offensive line. Drew Brees was one of Jacob Bobenmoyer Jersey those guys. He was a tough sack. The ball came out, and I think Bo has traits like that."Trautman has noticed that the rookie isn't afraid to take shots downfield, either."He's willing to take the I don't want to say take the risk but he's willing to do it," Trautman said. "I think that also obviously comes with experience. He's seen all these windows because of how much he has played."Of the Broncos' three quarterbacks, the 27-year-old Stidham is the most versed in Payton's playbook, as he was in Denver last season. He started the final two games last season after Wilson's benching. Among the current group, Stidham has also been in the NFL the longest (2019-present).The 25-year-old Wilson, though, has started the most games (33 compared to Stidham's four). After three tumultuous seasons with the , Wilson is a low-risk, high-reward reclamation project for the Broncos.Then there's Nix, the first-round rookie touted as the future."You owe it to respect the other guys in the competition, too," Nix said. "They also want to be the starter, and they also are going to have to accept Payton's decision . Whatever they decide, that's what we're going with.''The Nix era awaits either way.Ben Arthur is the AFC South reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tenne sean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered theSeattle Seahawksfor SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tenne see. You can follow Ben NFL Denver Broncos Jersey on Twitter at@benyarthur. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.
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