The Denver Broncos named first-round rookie quarterback Bo Nix the franchise’s Week 1 starter ahead of the 2024 NFL season, after a consistently dominant preseason from the No. 12 overall pick in this spring’s draft.
Through two contests, Nix has shown a propensity for sound decision-making, a strong pocket presence and a quick release while completing 76.6 percent of his passes, across two games, for 205 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Indianapolis Colts and Green Bay Packers.
Nix’s strong preseason vaulted him past Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson for the Broncos’ starting job, and elevated expectations for Denver this season.
Biggest Worry for Denver Broncos QB Bo Nix
As optimistic as Broncos head coach Sean Payton seems to be about Nix, there could be some pitfalls ahead for the former Oregon and Auburn standout.
NFL analyst Dan Pizzuta suggests that Nix’s and the Broncos’ reliance on short-passes this preseason could limit the rookie’s ceiling this fall.
As Pizzuta explains, among all quarterbacks in Week 2 of the preseason, Nix’s 3.8 average Depth of Target ranked 68th in the league, just ahead of Wilson and Stidham.
While it is entirely true that Payton’s system may be more quarterback-friendly because of the amount of high-percentage throws and concepts, it could allow defenses to more easily key in on what Nix and the Broncos do best.
“Last year at Oregon, just 66.4 percent of Nix’s passes traveled past the line of scrimmage,” Pizzuta points out for The 33rd Team. “That was the third-lowest figure among quarterbacks in the draft class. He had the best accuracy and completion percentage numbers to the short and intermediate areas of the field, but he was also throwing there less often than some of the other passers.
“Building an offense around that type of passing profile requires a specific plan that needs so much to go right for it to hit its ceiling. So far, that hasn’t been the issue. Nix has averaged 0.34 EPA per play and a 50 percent success rate in finding holes in zone coverage. But that might not be as easy in the regular season against more complicated defensive looks.”
It would seem that Payton and the Broncos have landed a quarterback perhaps best equipped to execute the system at high level, given the propensity for short and intermediate passes. How effective that scheme and Nix can be this season remains to be seen.
