Count Mike McGlinchey among those who does not hold back praise regarding rookie quarterback Bo Nix.
McGlinchey, the Broncos’ veteran right tackle, said Nix comports himself like, well, a veteran.
“Certainly his maturity is something that everyone’s been speaking to,” McGlinchey said of the No. 12 overall pick from April’s draft. “He’s learning fast on the job and he’s a very competitive dude. He takes a lot of pride in not screwing things up. Or if he does once, he’s not going to do it again. He takes (pride) in the small things like the cadence. He’s always coming up and asking me, asking the rest of us, ‘Hey, how can I do that better? How can I do this better?’ Bo’s been an impressive person in our locker room.”
Monday wasn’t Nix’s finest day during his time with the top offense. The group had issues with the snap count, with center-quarterback exchanges and just with getting in and out of the huddle cleanly. All things, as it happens, Nix has been lauded for to date.
That’s why it seems as though most expect he’ll move past a couple of rough practice periods quickly.
“As a player, I think he’s picking things up incredibly fast and doing a great job, but as a competitor and as a teammate, he’s done a great job, too,” McGlinchey said. “I think Bo’s on the right track. He’s going to take the coaching he’s going to get. He’s got some of the best in the world helping him out.
“I think he’s going to do great things for us.”
JFM sees a more mature Wilson. John Franklin-Myers was in New York for all three of Zach Wilson’s seasons there at quarterback after Wilson was picked No. 2 overall in 2021.
Wilson struggled. The Jets struggled. A talented defense grew frustrated at times over the offense’s inability to hold up its end of the bargain.
So far this summer, Franklin-Myers said he’s seen growth from the Wilson, the now-Broncos quarterback, after each came from New York to Denver within a week of each other in April.
“I think Zach, from a maturity standpoint, is the biggest thing I’ve seen,” Franklin-Myers said Monday. “You know, he was a young kid coming into New York and it was tough. It was tough going over there. He definitely shows up to work. Definitely puts his best foot forward every day. He wants to be better, he wants to learn, he asks questions and if you’re talking about getting better, shoot, that’s the first step.”
David Shaw sighting. Broncos senior personnel executive David Shaw was out and about at practice Monday, chatting with quarterback Jarrett Stidham early in the session and taking in training camp.
Shaw, the former Stanford head coach, is in a front office role and isn’t actively coaching, but head coach Sean Payton said he brings a trusted set of eyes to the organization.
“He’ll be in more of a front-office position helping us with evaluation,” Payton said. “There’s a number of things he can help us with. He’s extremely smart, a close friend and a good addition for us.”
The Broncos finalized the hire of Shaw in late June after the team’s mandatory minicamp. He had interviewed for three NFL head coaching jobs over the past two cycles, including Denver’s opening in January 2023 before Payton was hired.
Payton and Shaw worked together in 1997 with Philadelphia when Payton was the quarterbacks coach and Shaw was an offensive quality control coach.
Punter battle. It may not be the talk of training camp, but the Broncos have a pretty good punter battle going between incumbent Riley Dixon and newcomer Trenton Gill.
Gill, who handled regular duties the past two seasons for Chicago, has hit the ball well, been smooth as a holder and also may have some kickoff potential given the new rules and likely different styles of kicks asked in that department.
“Both of them are very experienced, they both can hold exceptionally well and both are hitting it pretty well,” Payton said. “We had an extended punt period today and I think the competition is good. It’s healthy.”
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Originally Published: July 29, 2024 at 2:15 p.m.
