5 QBs the Broncos could have instead of Bo Nix after putrid debut

All summer, we've heard nothing but positive reviews of Bo Nix. The Denver Broncos selected the Oregon product 12th overall in April's NFL Draft, which just about every pundit considered a massive reach in the moment. Alas, once training camp started and the Sean Payton PR machine fired up, there was a sincere belief that Nix could deliver on outsized expectations.

He is, after all, the most experienced rookie quarterback in quite some time. Nix spent five years in college and he was a starter throughout, splitting his amateur career between Auburn and Oregon, two Power Five schools with plenty of NFL talent. Nix's senior campaign with the Ducks was especially impressive. The numbers speak for themselves — 4,508 yards, 45 touchdowns, only three interceptions — and he, of course, aced pre-draft interviews with his football I.Q. and winning personality.

Sean Payton knows his quarterbacks and he has never wavered in his Bo Nix confidence. Neither has the Denver fandom... until this past Sunday in Week 1 when the 24-year-old laid a nice goose egg in his pro debut. Nix completed 26-of-42 passes for 138 yards, with two INTs (two-thirds of his senior season total at Oregon!). He did not complete a touchdown pass. All of a sudden, the optimism hit a brick wall and pessimism began to re-enter the fold.

As FanSided's Cody Williams so eloquently explained in his article detailing immediately regrettable draft picks, the numbers never did fully speak for themselves at Oregon. Nix was a product of the Ducks' exceedingly kind system, which puffed up his numbers like a cotton candy machine.

"I'll freely admit that Nix has never been my cup of tea," Williams writes. "At Oregon, the offense was heavily schemed-up to make his numbers and production look great but he was not often asked to do much that required him to be a playmaker. At the NFL level, that's a whole other story wherein Nix absolutely has to make those plays."

Now that he's forced to make challenging throws into traffic and process the game at a more advanced level, Nix is in for one hell of an adjustment period. It's too early to write him off entirely, but yeah, a lot of preseason skepticism was validated in Week 1.

If Nix doesn't round into form quickly, here are a few viable replacements for Denver.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns still have three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, which is practically begging for a trade. There is justifiable uncertainty about Deshaun Watson's future with the organization, but financially and otherwise, he is still locked into the Browns' starting job. The next man up is Jameis Winston, who outranks NFL sophomore Dorian Thompson-Robinson by virtue of his experience.

That makes DTR an intriguing trade candidate for Denver, should none of their in-house options prove satisfying. Thompson-Robinson appeared in eight games (three starts) as a rookie, completing 53.6 percent of his passes for 440 yards. He scored one touchdown through the air and tossed four interceptions, so yeah, the stats aren't particularly kind.

Even so, DTR provides legitimate dual-threat ability at the QB position, an increasingly valuable attribute in today's NFL. He can improvise outside the pocket or beat defenders to the outside, turning broken plays into significant gains with his rapid acceleration and open-field speed.

The Broncos would need to be confident in DTR's progress in the pocket, but Nix isn't exactly slinging it down field with much success yet. There's a case here.

Ryan Tannehill, free agent

The simplest solution would be targeting the best quarterback still on the free agent market, Ryan Tannehill. At 36 years old, Tannehill appears comfortable with a soft retirement of sorts. He has said he won't sign just anywhere; he's waiting for the right opportunity, which includes a clear path to starts, solid offensive personnel, and a nice paycheck.

If the Broncos are inclined to bench Nix, that could be the closest Tannehill gets to the 'ideal' situation. Sean Payton tends to get the most out of his quarterback, these last few years notwithstanding. We can't blame the dude for Russell Wilson, anyhow. Tannehill struggled last season before an injury gave way to rookie Will Levis in Tennessee, but he was otherwise reliable for the better portion of a decade.

He's not an elite talent, but Tannehill brings a ton of starting experience to the table and a relatively bankable skill set. If the Broncos are inclined to go all-out in pursuit of a postseason berth, Tannehill's track record could be appealing to Payton and the powers that be.

This surely isn't the sexiest possibility for Denver fans, and it would take some roster maneuvering — Denver has three QBs already. But, there was worse outcomes. Trust me.

Trey Lance, Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys finally inked Dak Prescott to an expectedly massive contract extension, tying him to the Lone Star State for at least the next half-decade. If $240 million isn't enough to get Jerry Jones to abandon his Trey Lance fascination, I'm not sure what is. That trade was boggling in the moment, but it has only grown stranger in the year since.

Lance has never really moved beyond QB3 on the Cowboys depth chart. Cooper Rush may not present the same long-term "upside" at 30 years old, but we have seen him effectively run Dallas' offense in Prescott's absence. That is generally all that is required of a backup quarterback. Lance, meanwhile, hasn't seen live NFL action since 2022 and it's clear Mike McCarthy does not trust him in the least. Lance's preseason was rocky at best, and it's past time for Dallas to bite the bullet and move on.

All that said, there has to be some lingering intrigue with Lance around the NFL. He's still 24 — the rare No. 3 pick to not really get a chance to prove himself for an extended period of time. The Broncos may not have much to lose if Nix can't figure this thing out. Lance has dual-threat weaponry at his disposal and, hey, he has the Jerry Jones endorsement. That carries weight (okay, fine, maybe it doesn't).

Of the limited backup QB trade market, Lance still ranks among the most compelling options, if only because he hasn't really gotten a chance to prove his inadequacy on the proper stage.

Jarrett Stidham or Zach Wilson, Denver Broncos

Of course, the most probable course of action would be the in-house replacement. Denver purposefully kept three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster for this very reason — because Nix is far from a surefire winner. Jarrett Stidham was the preseason favorite to start Week 1 under center, but Nix won the job with a strong (read: vastly overhyped) training camp. Zach Wilson has also been the recipient of much praise from the Broncos coaching staff. There is clearly some level of belief there, even if he's nominally the third-string QB right now.

Stidham received a couple starts at the tail-end of last season and he's the easiest, "safest" replacement. A former fourth-round pick, Stidham doesn't have the most exciting profile, but he's a solid pocket presence with 16 NFL appearances and four starts under his belt. He completed 60.6 percent of his passes for 496 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception across three games (two starts) in 2023.

Wilson is the upside swing, a bit of a wild card, even though we've seen much more of him in the NFL than Stidham. The New York Jets gave Wilson three years to earn his keep. Last season was supposed to be Aaron Rodgers' big arrival, but after four plays, the reins were back in Wilson's hands. It was his sharpest campaign to date, but that's not saying much. For all the arm talent and raw athleticism, Wilson's decision-making leaves much to be desired. He would need to clean up his approach substantially to deliver for Denver.

That said, he's a former No. 2 pick and he probably does present the highest pure ceiling of any Broncos QB, so there's a strong case in his favor if Nix flames out. It's certainly more fun to think about Wilson running Sean Payton's offense than Jarrett Stidham, at least for those of us without a rooting interest in the team.