Bo Nix is set to play for the Broncos for the first time this preseason on Friday, when Green Bay visits Empower Field at Mile High. Sean Payton said Wednesday that Nix is expected to get around 14 snaps, a short but meaningful opening look as the Broncos move deeper into their preseason evaluation.
That is why the search around Packers Vs Broncos lands now: this is Denver’s first home preseason game of 2026, and it gives Nix his first live game action after sitting out the preseason win over the Falcons in Atlanta. Nix said Tuesday he was super excited to be back at Empower Field, calling it a blast to play at home and saying it will be fun to get out there for the first time this year, put the pads on and get some work in.
The snaps matter because they will be the first in-game chances for Nix to take calls from first-year Offensive Coordinator Davis Webb. Webb said the point is to let him feel the whole routine again, from warmups to the first completion to the first hit, then let him breathe and watch the rest of the game. For Denver, those few plays are part of a much larger check on the 53-man roster, and Payton made that plain when he said the No. 1 goal is still evaluating the right 53.
The challenge is that this will not be a soft landing. Matt LaFleur said Green Bay’s starters will see action on Friday, which raises the level of the test for a Broncos team also trying to sort out young players and roster spots. Members of the 2026 draft class are among those trying to flash potential, while Jonah Coleman and Red Murdock are aiming to build on promising debuts. Vance Joseph said Murdock did a great job of controlling the huddle, making the calls and making the checks, but also said he wants him to turn it loose more often in Week 2.
Denver is chasing its ninth straight preseason win, but the bigger question on Friday is narrower than that: how quickly Nix settles in, and whether those 14 snaps are enough to give the Broncos another useful read before the roster picture tightens.
