The Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons will face off in their preseason opener, but third-year quarterback Bo Nix will not be part of the action on the field.
Nix is coming back from an ankle injury that cut his 2025 campaign woefully short. He led the Broncos to the AFC Championship Game, in which he was unable to participate. That may not be the reason behind the Broncos’ decision.
Nevertheless, it puts Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger on notice.
Broncos to Rest Bo Nix in Preseason Opener vs Falcons
Broncos head coach Sean Payton suggested he did not know if Nix would face the Falcons in the preseason opener earlier this week.
Just a few days later, though, the Super Bowl champion head coach has made up his mind.
“Just kind of our first real practice devoted towards Atlanta. We’ll kind of go through the roles, expecting our starters to play around 15 plays,” Payton told reporters on August 12. “Bo won’t play in this game. He’ll play next week.”
Payton explained that the Broncos’ decision was not based on any concerns about Nix or his previously balky ankle.
“If we were playing a game, you guys have watched practice–he wants to play,” Payton said. “He’ll play the next two weeks, so I think that was probably something that was already decided maybe like a month ago? But if we were playing a game, I would say he would play. And probably, you’d have to ask him, but I would say 100%.
Payton also said there have been no changes to Nix’s reps in camp.
“A week and a half ago, we talked about it, because I get asked not about his health, but like, ‘All right, is he still able to…’ And there was a play where he moved and hit Pat [Bryant]. That was a real good sign. It was, yeah, a real good throw. And so, he’s doing well, and I’m sure there’s scar tissue in certain parts of it. But yeah, he’s right where we were hoping he’d be.
Broncos, Falcons Begin QB Battles in Preseason Week 1
Both the Broncos and the Falcons will be trying out QB options in the opener, with Denver planning to have Stidham and Ehlinger both play roughly one half, Payton said.
Stidham has been Nix’s backup over the past two seasons, but he performed poorly in the AFC Championship Game in QB1’s stead, opening the door for a potential shift this season. As it stands, Stidham is listed as QB2 on their first unofficial depth chart of the preseason.
Likewise, the Falcons are holding a QB competition, but for their starter.
Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski said that Tua Tagovailoa will start, but Nix’s draft classmate Michael Penix Jr. will play, too.
Additionally, Payton–who acknowledged the need to balance building a “callus” with being smart about player health with the new preseason format–noted that Nix will likely be in attendance for the contest.
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