Head Coach Nathaniel Hackett says he expects QB Josh Johnson to start vs. the Bills

After today’s practice, Denver Broncos Head Coach Nathaniel Hackett told reporters that he expects backup quarterback Josh Johnson to get the start against the Buffalo Bills.

Johnson earned the start against the Dallas Cowboys last weekend and did not disappoint. The career journeyman quarterback completed 16 of 23 passes for 172 yards and 2 touchdowns. It was far from a perfect game for Johnson, but he ended his night strong and got the Broncos in the end zone twice with two pretty passes to Seth Williams and the Hall Of Famer Kendall Hinton. Now, he’ll get his second straight start against the Buffalo Bills this Saturday.

Some were wondering and hopeful that Brett Rypien would get the start vs. the Bills to make it a fair backup competition. However, I think we have received our answer to the backup quarterback competition. Johnson getting back-to-back starts likely confirms he’s the backup to Russell Wilson this season, or at the very least, is in the lead for the job.

This also means that we will not see Russell Wilson for the second straight preseason game. Head Coach Nathaniel Hackett has been steadfast in his belief in resting players and the risk outweighing the reward when it comes to playing key starters during the preseason. I would imagine we see the same amount of starters that we saw against the Cowboys play this weekend against the Bills. This likely means seeing even less of the Broncos starters in their preseason finale and just start preparing for their week one regular season matchup against the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football.