It appears that rookie Bo Nix has thus far met expectations since the Denver Broncos made the former Oregon Ducks quarterback the 12th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.
"Nix’s first two months as a pro have been ... reaffirming, a strong first impression rooted in his ability, quarterbacks coach Davis Webb said, to retain information and use it to make necessary adjustments," Broncos reporter Nick Kosmider of The Athletic shared in a piece published Tuesday.
Almost immediately after Denver selected Nix on the night of April 25, insiders and analysts suggested that he was a perfect fit for the offense run by Broncos head coach Sean Payton and that Payton would want to start the 24-year-old for Denver's regular-season opener at the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 8.
However, Payton noted during Organized Team Activities that Nix still needed to "begin to feel the speed difference and the reaction difference" between the pro and college levels.
Payton has since said that Nix will compete for the starting job with former New York Jets flop Zach Wilson and journeyman Jarrett Stidham this summer. It's unclear when Payton plans to name his QB1 for Week 1.
"His ability to process a hefty portion of the playbook, dizzyingly unwrapped over the past two months, made him appear comfortable in an offense that features many players entering year two in the system," Kosmider added about Nix, who started 61 games in college. "...Communication was one of Nix’s strengths during the offseason program. So, too, was his accuracy. The rookie feasted on a steady diet of short and intermediate throws during OTAs and minicamp, the ball typically fired quickly to those options. There wasn’t much downfield flash from Nix, but he also rarely put the ball in harm’s way."
Some believe that Payton won't want to start Nix at Seattle's Lumen Field, widely regarded as one of the loudest road environments in the NFL, or versus a menacing Pittsburgh Steelers defense in Week 2 on Sept. 15. Such a delay could give either Wilson or Stidham opportunities to shine, or it could confirm that Nix is the best quarterback on Denver's roster.
As of Tuesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had Nix tied with two others for fifth among the betting favorites at +1800 odds to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award for the upcoming season. How Nix develops over the next two-and-a-half months could determine if he remains in OROTY conversations through Halloween.
