Broncos Urged to Take ‘Training Wheels’ Off $18.6 Million Rookie QB

One way or another, the Denver Broncos are one of the NFL’s hottest teams — even if their offense doesn’t inspire much enthusiasm.

The Broncos won their third consecutive game and improved to 3-2 on October 6 with a 34-18 win over the AFC West Division rival Las Vegas Raiders. A more nuanced look at their 3-2 record shows they’re only a few possessions away from being 5-0 after one-score losses to the Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers to open the season.

Still, even against the Raiders it was the defense that sparked the win with a 100-yard interception return by cornerback Patrick Surtain II midway through the second quarter, tying the score at 10-10.

Rookie quarterback Bo Nix has been the single player drawing the most heat for Denver’s offensive struggles yet he accounted for 3 touchdowns against the Raiders — 2 passing and 1 rushing.

After the win, Bleacher Report suggested head coach Sean Payton should take the “training wheels” off the offense and allow the 2024 first-round pick to take more shots downfield in the passing game.

From Bleacher Report: “Broncos head coach and offensive play-caller Sean Payton must design more deep shots for the aerial attack to help Bo Nix significantly advance his development. Nix showed off his arm on a deep throw to rookie wide receiver Troy Franklin, who beat Raiders defenders by five yards in separation but dropped the ball in the end zone … [Nix] has the arm strength and accuracy to push the ball downfield. Payton needs to trust him to make splash plays through the air.”

Nix Bounced Back From Dismal Passing Game

Nix went 19-of-26 passing for 206 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Raiders, and he didn’t throw any interceptions. It was a bounce-back game for Nix after he went 12-of-25 passing for a meager 60 yards and 1 touchdown in 10-9 win over the New York Jets in Week 4.

Nix hasn’t thrown an interception since the Week 2 loss to the Steelers. If you’re looking for a reason Payton hasn’t called more downfield passing plays, Nix threw 4 interceptions in the first 2 games of the season.

When the Broncos did go for a home run ball against the Raiders, Nix’s college teammate and fellow rookie Franklin dropped a wide-open pass in the end zone on what would have been a 46-yard touchdown.

Nix Critiqued For Lack of Downfield Shots in College

Nix was one of a record-tying 6 quarterbacks taken in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, going at No. 12 overall and signing a 4-year, $18.6 million contract after setting FBS records for most starts (61) and single-season completion percentage with 77.4% as a senior at Oregon in 2023.

He is also the first rookie quarterback to start for the Broncos since No. 1 overall pick John Elway in 1983. At Oregon, Nix thrived in an offense that saw him average just 9.6 yards per completion — even though he still threw for career highs of 4,508 yards and 45 touchdowns and a career low of 3 interceptions in 2023.

From Bleacher Report: “During the draft evaluation process, critics pointed to Nix’s lack of deep-ball production as a limiting factor in his developmental ceiling.”