Bo Nix looks ready to get back on the field. His ankle appears fully healed after offseason surgery, and he has been moving around and running well at Broncos Camp as he prepares to make his preseason debut this week.
That matters because the Broncos are down to a handful of training camp practices and are trying to sort the Broncos depth chart before Week 1. Nix’s return gives the offense a clearer picture, and it comes after the Broncos beat the Atlanta Falcons 27-7 in preseason play.
The quarterback picture moved sharply on Friday Night. Jarrett Stidham turned in a statement performance that may have all but ended the backup quarterback competition talk, even though Sam Ehlinger had been in the QB2 conversation before the game and had been splitting second-team reps with Stidham. Ehlinger was pushed to the third-team offense, which is the kind of shift that usually tells a staff where the pecking order stands, even if nothing is formally announced.
That same kind of sorting is happening at running back. JK Dobbins is dealing with what seems like a minor soft tissue injury and likely will not play much, if at all, during the preseason, which leaves room for other backs to make a case. RJ Harvey’s stock is down as a runner, but up as a pass catcher and weapon in space. Jonah Coleman impressed against the Falcons and has shown great vision, power, soft hands and pass-blocking ability, which is the profile that can move a player from candidate to real option. Tyler Badie has also earned the trust of the Broncos coaches and Bo Nix for his pass-blocking ability, while Jaleel McLaughlin hurt his own standing by fumbling against the Falcons. Cody Schrader, meanwhile, ran the ball behind the third-string offensive line, a tougher job than most of the others are getting.
So the Broncos are not just waiting for Nix to return. They are using these final preseason reps to decide who protects him, who backs him up and which runners can hold a role when Week 1 arrives. If Stidham keeps the edge he showed on Friday Night and Coleman keeps stacking the kind of all-around work that coaches value, the clearest answers on this roster may arrive before the regular season ever begins.
