Broncos Country could live in this snapshot forever.
On a smothering early August afternoon, Pat Surtain II and Bo Nix walked off the practice field together, the last players to enter the locker room. They chatted and smiled, pleased with the afternoon’s workout.
This scene represented a Broncos future in something besides the upside-down snow globe they have been living in for the past eight years. The stretch includes no playoff berths — the second-longest active drought in the NFL, behind the New York Jets — and seven consecutive losing seasons.
If Nix joins Surtain as one of the Broncos’ best players as a rookie, the possibilities are endless. Optimism is growing among fans and the organization that this unannounced rebuilding project has unearthed its franchise cornerstone. Not someone to keep the seat warm or act as a placeholder, but a genuine stud capable of evolving into a foundational piece with undeniable curb appeal.
The Broncos can change the shutters, replace the shingles and paint the house. But none of it matters if they don’t hit on Nix. They need him to be good for the roster construction to work, for coach Sean Payton to begin mirroring his success in New Orleans.
Get this right, and the Broncos’ range of outcomes for their ceiling suddenly changes to nine wins and even becoming 2024’s Houston Texans.
Winning football games shouldn’t be this hard, requiring five coaches in nine years, new ownership, a carousel of coordinators, and a lock of Thunder’s mane. But, what if Nix is the guy? What if he is Bo the Builder?
Simply put, all the other pieces will fall into place.
“There is a lot of attention on Bo,d understandably so when you draft a quarterback in the first round. Every one of us recognizes the significance of getting that position settled and having someone at that position who we feel like we can win with,” Payton said. “When that is unsettled, it’s tough on your team.”
The Broncos have lived this existence. When Nix eventually takes his seat in the cockpit, there is hope he will end the madness. The Broncos have used 13 starters since Peyton Manning retired. At last, Nix looks like the fix.
Externally, the Broncos are viewed unfavorably, as a team in transition. Payton, however, has never posted fewer than seven victories in a season. He’s not about to utter the word “rebuild.” But it is semantics. All the hallmarks are in place. The Broncos shed veterans Justin Simmons, Josey Jewell and Jerry Jeudy, becoming significantly younger at multiple positions. Players are embracing their inexperience and hunger, believing it makes them dangerous.
Nobody symbolizes it more than Nix. Beginning in May and throughout camp, he flashed enough to suggest Denver finally has its bedrock Bronco at the game’s most important position.
This conclusion is not drawn easily. If you are going to play quarterback for the Broncos, you have to bring more to the huddle than knowledge of the playbook, check-down screens and robotic responses that seem like they were generated by AI.
Nix has some swag. It started when he threw a no-look pass early in OTAs and continued with his slow heartbeat against the Colts in the preseason opener.
“He has a very unique combination of humility and confidence that goes a long way for his position. And certainly, as a rookie stepping in here, there’s a lot of pressure on him,” right tackle Mike McGlinchey said. “He’s taken that in stride. And he’s not afraid of competition. There’s no fear of getting out there and going for it.”
The Broncos saw this when they evaluated his college tape. They removed all of the throws of five yards or fewer and still found a ridiculously accurate quarterback.
During his private workout for Payton in Eugene, the former Oregon star made 83 throws. Payton graded 82 with perfect location, the one miss on a pass where the receiver had to turn his shoulder. The ability to lead receivers, allowing them to catch a ball in stride, cannot be overstated. Nix’s first preseason touchdown looked simple in the box score — a 1-yard completion to Marvin Mims Jr. — but featured the sort of nuance that led Payton to draft him with the 12th overall pick.
There was quick motion across the formation by Mims. He was flat with no throwing angle for the quarterback. If Nix fired in front of Mims, he would lose yards. Throw it behind him and it would get deflected or picked. It had to be a dart. And Nix delivered.
In his preseason debut, 24-year-old Nix directed five drives, scoring on four of them, totaling 20 points.
“I mean he has a lot of college games under his belt. I feel like that experience has helped with his maturity level,” said rookie receiver Devaughn Vele, who faced Nix when Utah played Oregon. “He’s a great leader on and off the field. He gives off that vibe that he’s here to win.”
It was never one thing that made Nix the linchpin for this project. Payton wasn’t going to base the second chapter of his coaching legacy on the sheer joy of moving on from Russell Wilson. He had to believe he could identify his replacement in the draft.
In Nix, he has found a lot to like.
He processes information well, freeing him to get the team in and out of the huddle at rapid pace while leaving time to dissect the defense and call audibles if necessary. He gets rid of the ball in a blink — on time and on its mark. And he dealt with adversity in college, exiting his dream school Auburn after being benched multiple times and booed before reviving his career at Oregon.
“Watching his college tape was calming,” Payton said.
He doesn’t take sacks. Nix also keeps his eyes downfield when manipulating the pocket. And he runs well, leading Payton to modify his scheme to include Oregon-style zone reads and run-pass options.
Of course, nobody is saying Nix is perfect. Or will be. He throws off his back foot too much, drifting when it calls for him to step up and drive the ball.
There will be blemishes and mistakes. Rebuilding projects are never seamless, always fighting the calendar and rarely without labor issues, if not pains.
But watching Nix walk off the field with Surtain, it doesn’t take much to see him as the future face of the franchise and undeniable cornerstone.
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