ENGLEWOOD, Colorado — It’s Bo time.

After Wednesday’s practice, head coach Sean Payton named rookie Bo Nix the Broncos’ starting quarterback.

“Bo Nix is ​​going to be our starting quarterback,” Payton said. “I felt like — and I said this to (the media) two weeks ago — the roster has been great. (Jarrett) Stidham, certainly with his experience and the opportunity to work with Zach Wilson. All three of those guys. We have some decisions to make as we go through the roster. I don’t want to get into all the other roster battles. That’s not for today. But Bo will start. We’ve kind of gone through our process. At the very beginning of everything, just talking to (GM) George (Paton) and (Owner & CEO) Greg (Penner) and understanding that a lot of times these things work themselves out, but we’re not in a rush to make those decisions. We want to see. I think it’s important to the team that we approach it that way. He’s been great. There’s obviously a lot of room to grow. There’s a lot of things he’s got to work on.”

Payton said he informed Nix and the Broncos’ other quarterbacks of the news before Wednesday’s practice.

Nix, the 12th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, will make his first career start on Sept. 8 against the Seattle Seahawks. The Oregon native will become just the second Broncos rookie to start at quarterback in Week 1, following John Elway in 1983.

“It’s going to be a special moment,” Nix said of his first start. “Obviously it’s great to share that with such a great player like John Elway, but (I) definitely want to go out there and (do) what I can do for the team ultimately. It doesn’t matter when your first start is. It doesn’t matter if you have to wait or if you go right now. You just want to go out there and get that first win and ultimately compete at a high level and give your team the best chance possible. That’s what my goal is going forward, just to give our team the best chance possible to go out there every week and win games.”

When asked if Nix would be a starter for the entire season, Payton said all players on the roster must perform to retain their role in the 2024 season.

“That goes for the team: There are no exemptions for the 17-week tour like (the BMW Championship in) Castle Pines right now,” Payton said. “These guys earn every week and play well every week. It’s not just the QBs, but you don’t get an exemption for the season. You have to play.”

Nix began competing for the role immediately following the draft, sharing first-team reps with Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson during the offseason program and early training camp. He and Stidham then alternated opportunities with the first-team offense as training camp progressed.

In his first preseason game, Nix stepped up for Stidham and completed 15 of 21 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown, good for a 102.3 quarterback rating against the Colts.

On Sunday, Nix started the Broncos’ preseason home game and put together a near-flawless performance. The rookie completed 8 of 9 passes for 80 yards, a touchdown and a 140.7 quarterback rating.

Through two games, Nix has completed 23 of 30 passes for 205 yards, two touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 116.7. Nix has also rushed for 29 yards six times. The rookie has not thrown an interception or recorded a sack in his two preseason appearances.

“The bigger picture of the job,” Payton said when asked what sets Nix apart from the competition. “There’s certain things you see now with Stiddy’s experience. I would say a lot of the off-schedule motion throws. I think he’s been consistent. It’s not really a reflection of Jarrett or even Zach. It’s some things he’s been able to do pretty quickly. His arm strength on the field — all the things when we evaluated him. You kind of trust your instincts.”