Keep, cut, trade: What happens to the two odd players out of Broncos QB battle?

It's Bo Time. And no, we aren't talking about cajun chicken. The Denver Broncos have officially named rookie quarterback Bo Nix as the Week 1 starter, with Sean Payton making the call after two weeks of preseason data collection.

Nix earned rave reviews throughout training camp, so this hardly comes as a surprise. Payton played a central role in the Broncos' decision to draft Nix — at No. 12 overall, no less — and the Oregon product has done nothing but impress in his limited reps.

Are there still concerns? Of course. Nix doesn't have outlier arm strength and he has a tendency to improvise outside the pocket when he would be better served by standing tall and delivering from standstill. All the same, Nix's game manager billing has been proven accurate, and he's doing more outside the offensive script than initially expected. There is clear upside, which the Broncos are wise to bet on.

With Nix being elevated, that means Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson are officially demoted to reserve status. Stidham should be QB2, while Wilson has been trending toward the QB3 designation for a while. It will be fascinating to see if the Broncos decide to keep all three quarterbacks, or if there is a trade or a cut on the horizon.

Broncos officially name Bo Nix as starter. Now what?

Right or wrong, the Broncos made a significant investment in Nix when he became the 12th overall pick. As such, this was the right decision from the Denver coaching staff. There is pressure to win games after toiling in mediocrity for so long with Russell Wilson, but we can honestly appraise the Broncos' situation. This is not a Super Bowl roster, and the more reps Nix gets under his belt now, the faster he can get up to speed for future campaigns.

It's also worth noting that Jarrett Stidham is not a Super Bowl quarterback. Even if there's a higher floor with the fifth-year vet, Nix presents a much higher ceiling. Stidham entered camp in pole position, so it's not like he didn't have an opportunity to stake his claim in practice or in preseason action. The Broncos considered all their options thoroughly — perhaps a little too thoroughly, depending on your perspective — but in the end, Nix won out. This was always going to be the outcome.

This puts the Broncos' front office in a great situation. Nix has earned the starting gig and looks ready to contribute out of the gate. Meanwhile, Stidham instantly becomes one of the best backup quarterbacks in the NFL. The Broncos can feel legitimately good about their Plan B. This is the same Jarrett Stidham who succeeded Russell Wilson down the stretch of last season. Payton has real faith in the 28-year-old.

Several NFL teams are in need of an upgrade to their backup QB slot. The Green Bay Packers come to mind, but the list is long. Stidham would surely fetch legitimate value — at least that of a late-round pick — in a trade. The same can be said for Zach Wilson, a former No. 2 pick whose athleticism and perceived upside could trick a team into rolling the dice.

We haven't seen much from Wilson in Denver to suggest that he's a different player than the one we last saw with the New York Jets, but 25-year-olds with his arm strength and mobility are not terribly common. Wilson had his moments last season, as few and far between as they may have been. He is probably better than a number of backup quarterbacks around the NFL, so Denver has options here.

The Broncos can simply keep all three in an effort to insure against injuries. Or, Denver can line up a trade involving either Stidham or Wilson. My guess, however, is that none get cut. Not when there's potential value to be mined on the trade front. Wilson is a cut candidate, to be sure, but Denver has made an effort to place its QB trio on equal footing all summer. Wilson has the respect of the coaching staff and he should stick on the roster (for now) as Denver looks to navigate the season ahead.