The Denver Broncos quarterback competition is still ongoing, but the consistent string of practices where Bo Nix gets the first reps of the day at the position is too hard to ignore.

Denver Broncos QB Bo Nix getting a more featured look

Five of the last seven practices the Denver Broncos have had at training camp have featured Nix getting the first reps with the first-team offense as the competition continues between him and Jarrett Stidham. Last week, Broncos head coach Sean Payton told us that the rotation would change a bit, and maybe this is what he meant.

During Monday’s practice, Nix received the first-team reps for the entirety of practice — as he did on Saturday. He looked very solid once again.

In the first team period of the day, Nix started things off with a pass to Greg Dulcich, who came free underneath for a moderate gain. On the next play, Jaleel McLaughlin took a handoff clean off tackle for a seven yard run before getting touched. Nix’s third play saw him drop back to pass, where he did a good job of scanning the field looking for a receiver to come open, but coverage was tight, prompting him to immediately tuck the football and scramble for a first down.

The second and final team period of the day saw Nix get the first reps once again, this time with a third down emphasis on short, medium, and long situations. During this series, Javonte Williams dropped a pass out of the backfield on the first play, leading to an incomplete pass. On the very next play, Nix delivered a strike to Courtland Sutton for a 10-12 yard gain in between the corner and safety. Nix’s third play of the series saw him face pressure, but he extended the play with a scramble drill, and found Lil’Jordan Humphrey on the sideline for a first down. The final play of the series was a big one, with Nix delivering a laser down the middle to Sutton once again for a 20-plus yard gain on third and 10.

Denver’s rookie QB continues to showcase confidence under center, processing the field quickly, and making smart decisions with the football on top of getting the ball out of his hands.

Stidham also had a solid day, but he wasn’t the primary focus of the offense it felt, but he helped elevate Troy Franklin, Dulcich, and Michael Bandy by connecting with each of them for a completion. Stidham himself has done a good job of processing the field, protecting the football, and getting the ball out quickly, but Nix has seemingly taken more chances downfield.

Broncos still installing, while getting ready to prepare for preseason opener

As the season inches closer and closer, Payton ultimately wants his starting quarterback to get the bulk of the reps as the team still maneuvers their way through installation.

“That’s a good question,” Payton said. “We didn’t install today because they were off yesterday. Tomorrow, we’ll install short yardage—third and 1 and fourth and 1. Then I believe Wednesday, we have a second round of third down—defense and offense—coming. Thursday we have a second round of red zone—defense and offense—coming. So short yardage, third down-[phase] two, redzone-[phase] two. Those will be the installation sequenced days this week. Then on the final day, it’ll be a focus on Indy.”

Payton also mentioned that he and his staff will iron out which players will play with which units and who will be starters as Denver prepares for their first preseason game this Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.

“Yeah, it’ll be probably Tuesday or Wednesday,” Payton said. “We have the practice laid out. Generally midweek, we will talk about the reps. Phase one, phase two, phase three. We’ll play—we’ll start most of the guys—if they’re healthy, we’ll play everyone. By midweek, we’ll have an idea.”

Denver will release their unofficial depth chart later this week as a formality because the NFL mandates them to do so, but the order of various players at various positions shouldn’t be read too much into. The most important depth chart is the one the team plans on releasing after they cut their roster down to 53 players.

Broncos news and notes from Day 11

Obviously, the news of the day happened before training camp with the release of Caden Sterns. Sean Payton talked following practice as to what factored into the team’s decision on Monday.

“The depth,” Payton said. “I visited with Caden this morning and just told him that right now we felt like it was in the best interest of our team. Especially this early where he’ll have a chance to either possibly sign with another team or possibly be traded. Part of it is the byproduct of some of these other guys that are playing ahead of him right now.”

With the emergence of JL Skinner and Devon Key, it makes sense if the team wants to get a deeper look at them in action, which they’ll receive plenty of reps in the preseason. With the injury to Brandon Jones, other players like Tanner McCalister, Omar Brown, and Keidron Smith will get opportunities as well. It appears unlikely that the team will re-sign Justin Simmons, who is still on the free agency market.

Broncos injury updates
Outside linebacker Nik Bonitto (back) returned to practice after missing on Saturday. Cornerback Levi Wallace (hamstring) and Jones (hamstring) continued to work on the side field and did not participate.

Defensive end Zach Allen was back at practice after missing Saturday with a vet day. Linebacker Justin Strnad (groin) was present at practice but did not participate.

Veteran offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey was absent from practice today as he and his wife celebrated the birth of their child. He’ll be back at practice on Tuesday.

Eyioma Uwazurike reinstated by the NFL
After being suspended all of last season for violating the NFL’s gambling policy, Eyioma Uwazurike was reinstated by the league and returned to practice for the first time today. Payton said the team will be smart with getting him acclimated in hopes of him playing in a preseason game over the course of the next three weeks.

“‘Enny’ has handled this well,” Payton said. “He took full responsibility for it. We’re in that period of time where there’s a lot of mistakes being made relative to the gambling and the gambling policy. I think the league and the communication they provided with him, we’re grateful for. He was out a year and so our job now is to make sure that we’re slow to get him ready back because he’s missed quite a bit. He was very remorseful, and I think that played a big part of it. I think he understands certainly the mistake he made and he’s really appreciative to be back here with this team.”

Uwazurike released his own statement today after being reinstated.

“I am grateful to the Denver Broncos and the National Football League for giving me the opportunity to resume my NFL career,” Uwazurike stated. “I’ve learned from this situation and taken steps to ensure it will never happen again. It is a privilege to play in the NFL, and I hope others can learn from my mistake. I will not take this second chance for granted and am fully committed to making a positive impact with the Broncos both on and off the field.”

He’ll join a pretty deep defensive line room, and it appears he has Payton and the organization’s full support going forward as he competes.

The Denver Broncos will be back on the practice field on Tuesday morning at 10:00 a.m.