NFL training camp notepad: Broncos aren’t settled on Bo Nix at QB yet

Yahoo Sports Senior NFL Reporter Charles Robinson is out on the road covering training camps. Today’s stop: the Denver Broncos

About the QB

The Broncos QB competition has simmered down to rookie Bo Nix vs. Jarrett Stidham. For now, the staff wants Nix to continue to feel the element of competition. But he’s doing what he needs to be the opening day starter, steadily improving as he goes. So long as that continues, Nix will be one of three rookie QB starters in Week 1, joining the Chicago Bears’ Caleb Williams and the Washington Commanders’ Jayden Daniels.

Rookie to watch

Running back Javonte Williams is in great shape and will be the No. 1, but make no mistake, fifth-round pick Audric Estime is going to get a nice chunk of run as a rookie. The staff (especially Sean Payton) absolutely loves his physicality, while the front office feels like Denver stole him in the draft. That equals playing time.

Keeping my eye on

I’m going to be watching all of the wide receivers closely. There’s going to be a ton of competition at the position and Payton is keeping the door wide open for surprises. One super dark horse: seventh-round rookie wideout Devaughn Vele, who is 26 years old and a legit 6-foot-4 with solid speed. It’s hard to look at him and forget that Payton pulled a seventh-round rabbit out of the hat in the 2006 draft when the New Orleans Saints selected a big-bodied unknown in Marques Colston.

Fantasy thought

After a disappointing second season, tight end Greg Dulcich is working back into the fold as a dynamic pass catcher. He’s never going to be the blocker Sean Payton covets, but there’s definitely a recognition of him in Year 3 as a matchup advantage. Denver doesn’t have a ton of those. If he stays healthy, that bodes well for Dulcich.

What I saw that was interesting

Overall, there’s a stillness to Broncos camp that wasn’t there in Payton’s first year. In 2023, he came in hot with a lot of spicy headlines, but he now seems more settled with the teaching that’s taking shape. One little chippy point? The betting over/under prediction of 5 1/2 wins is a bit of a slap for a coach who has never won fewer than seven games in 16 years.

Wild card

After Gary Kubiak departed following the 2016 season, the Broncos cycled through five different offensive coordinators in the next six years. With that came multiple changes in scheme and a general but predictable dysfunction. Now there’s the continuity of running Payton’s system in back-to-back years and beyond. That’s going to matter.