The Pittsburgh Steelers could realistically play against three rookie quarterbacks this season after six teams drafted one in the first 12 selections in April, including their first two opponents with Bo Nix in Denver and Michael Penix Jr. in Atlanta. Nix, selected 12th overall, has a particularly tough road to hoe, according to Adam Schefter, to start right away.
“It’s a tough spot to put him in”, he argued of Nix playing the Steelers in Week 2 on ESPN’s NFL schedule release show. “Not that Sean Payton would be apprehensive about doing it if he felt it warranted it. But [at] Seattle is not an ideal spot for an NFL rookie quarterback to make his debut. The next week against Pittsburgh? Also, not ideal”.
The Steelers visit the Broncos during the second week of the season. They almost surely will start Russell Wilson at quarterback, who played for Denver the past two years. Payton, their head coach, certainly seemed to want him gone, but will his hand-picked replacement be ready for that game?
Like the Steelers, the Broncos open the season with three road games in the first four weeks. That is not ideal for any rookie quarterback, though Bo Nix has considerable college experience. After hosting Pittsburgh in Week 2, the Broncos visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets on the East Coast.
“Now Bo Nix may step in with 61 college starts and be so impressive from the get-go that Sean Payton says, ‘I don’t care. This guy’s different. There’s a reason why we drafted him at No. 12 and we’re starting him Week 1’”, Schefter said. “That very well may happen, but the schedule is not conducive for drafting a quarterback at No. 12 and starting him right away”.
Outside of the rookie Nix, the Broncos have veterans Zach Wilson and Jarrett Stidham at quarterback. A former first-round pick, Denver added Wilson for a late-round swap of draft picks a few weeks ago. He was 12-21 as a starter for the Jets, whom he’d probably like to play on Week 4 himself.
As for the Falcons, well, I probably erred in calling the Steelers’ chances of facing Penix realistic. Atlanta is still committed to Kirk Cousins at quarterback. Though he is recovering from a serious Achilles injury, he said that he expects to be ready for the Steelers in Week 1. That leaves Week 2 as the earliest opportunity to see a rookie in the Broncos’ Bo Nix.
With 61 starts over five seasons, Nix went 1,286-of-1,936 passing for 15,352 yards and 113 touchdowns to 26 interceptions. He saw a considerable uptick in production during his final two seasons after transferring from Auburn to Oregon. During the 2023 season, he went 364-of-470 for 4,508 yards with 45 touchdowns to just three interceptions.
Despite the high level of productivity, nobody viewed Nix as potentially the first quarterback off the board. One thing we know he doesn’t lack is college experience. But will the Broncos consider that sufficient for their early road gauntlet, plus a top NFL defense in the Steelers?
