In case you missed it, the Denver Broncos are thrilled with how rookie quarterback Bo Nix has developed since being drafted in the first round at the end of April. With the offseason training program in the books, people around Broncos HQ are buzzing about Nix and NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, Omar Ruiz, and Brian Baldinger recently broke down why that is.
"Sean Payton's not tipping his hand as far as how they'll divvy up reps when training camp begins, or where the pecking order is right now for that quarterback competition," Ruiz said during a recent segment. "But as for Bo Nix, you said it; no secret that seemingly he was the perfect fit for Sean Payton's offense, and [the] early returns on Nix's development has been overwhelmingly positive, and everything we talked about from his days at the University of Oregon and the record 61 college starts that he had between the Oregon Ducks and the Auburn Tigers, as well as the five or so different systems that he played with in college have certainly lessened his learning curve."
Nix seems to naturally fit in with whatever his surroundings are. That's a knack that all good leaders must have, so while he's starting out as a rookie, obviously, he's a 24-year-old player who's been in some tough situations and he's had to overcome some obstacles. That thick skin could also be why Nix has so quickly "ingratiated himself" into the Broncos locker room.
"The way that he's ingratiated himself into the locker room, the way he's ingratiated himself into that quarterback room, the way Joe Lombardi says that Nix rarely makes the same mistake twice; and you can feel that experience on the field," Ruiz said of Nix. "Nothing seems to be too big for Bo Nix. They've been nothing but pleased so with so far his early development there."
During the same TV roundtable, Baldinger, a former NFL quarterback himself, explained how all that experience Nix brought to the table has served him so far in Denver.
"I do think 61 starts matters, and experience matters, and playing in different systems and on different teams and in different leagues—all that stuff kind of builds that moxie that you need inside you to run a Sean Payton offense," Baldinger said of Nix. "I don't think Sean's giving him the job. I think that there's a competition. I think that Sean understands that he's got to show his team—because you're gonna have the leader of the team, whoever the quarterback is—that has earned that right to be the starter. It hasn't been given to him. So I think that's good."
Even if Payton's plan is to go with the rookie as Denver's starter, which is probable, as the head coach, he still has to maintain credibilty with the locker room, especially the veterans. That's why Nix is being pitted in an open competition with Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson.
If Payton didn't think Nix would win such a competition, he probably a.) wouldn't have drafted him and b.) wouldn't have risked him coming out on the losing end by forcing him to sing for his supper against two young veterans. The bottom line is, if Nix can't vanquish two lackluster NFL vets, he doesn't deserve to be the starter in Denver, anyway.
Pelissero closed out the conversation by sharing some intel he picked up pre-draft on Nix and why he was viewed as such an ideal fit for Payton and the Broncos. It had a little bit to do with Payton's frustrating experience with Russell Wilson last season.
"One of the big frustrations for Sean Payton, and you saw it bubble over on the sidelines at times last year, was Russell Wilson simply not executing plays the way Sean Payton had drawn them up, or the way he wanted them executed," Pelissero said. "I've talked to coaches and scouts in the pre-draft process about why Bo Nix was a good fit for Denver. A big part of it was he's a coach's kid. He will do exactly what Sean Payton is asking him to do."
Indeed, Payton craves a quarterback who can be an extension of him on the field. As a play-caller — and one of the best to ever do it — Payton was pulling his hair out with Wilson, watching him hold onto the ball way too long, miss open reads, turn the ball over, and take a mountain of sacks (45).
Payton has extolled Nix's virtues, which include, according to his head coach, a quick processor, the ability to get the ball out quickly and accurately, and avoiding sacks. Payton can make a lot of hay with a quarterback like Nix, who also happens to have a much better arm than his draft critics would allow, as well as a thicker NFL frame, and plus-athleticism.
Payton can't wait to get his new toy on the field. You can count on that. And the truth is, if Nix is even half the quarterback Payton thinks he is, he'll make relatively short work of Stidham, the journeyman, and Wilson, the top-2 draft bust.
Broncos training camp kicks off on July 23.
