Bo Nix is fresh off of the best rookie season for a quarterback in Denver Broncos history. We would have all loved to have seen it include at least one playoff win, but that was always going to be a tall task with the Broncos going on the road against a team that has lost one home game in two full calendar years (ironically last year vs. the Broncos).
But on the whole, there is no arguing against the fact that Nix's season was impressive from a wide variety of vantage points. Nix proved himself to be this team's franchise quarterback and quarterback of the future, giving the Broncos a special player to build around for the next window of time.
As good as Nix's rookie year was, it was probably even a little sweeter given the way he surpassed any and all expectations that the majority of the NFL media world would have led you to believe was even possible. We here at Predominantly Orange were on the Nix hype train before the NFL Draft, labeling him the "perfect" first-round draft target well in advance of Denver selecting him 12th overall. We don't say that to gloat, but simply to indicate that Sean Payton's warning is one worth listening to. We all have to be careful of who we listen to these days and how much stock we put into the opinions of others without using our own eyes.
One of the biggest misconceptions about Nix coming out of the 2024 NFL Draft was that his "ceiling" was going to be limited in the NFL because he was entering the league as a 24-year-old rookie. Nix being 24 instead of 22 isn't all that big of a deal when you consider how much growth he showed at Oregon at those ages, and how he probably would have floundered in the NFL if he hadn't had that experience.
Now that he's in the NFL and having played so much football before he got to the Denver Broncos, Nix sent a pretty terrifying message about his future in the league and what he thought about his rookie season as a whole.
Broncos QB Bo Nix surprised at how quickly he adapted to speed of the NFL
"It (his rookie season) was more than I thought it was going to be. I thought it was going to be, in a strange way… You go to a new level and you get to the NFL, and I expected it to be tough, but I was pleased with how at the end of the day it’s just football. They have 11 guys; I have 11 guys. We compete to go get first downs and score points. It’s a new system and you’re learning, but you pick it up quick because we’re all professionals and that’s just kind of what we do. That’s our job.
I was pleased at the turnover. I was pleased at the transition. I thought everybody that had my back throughout the process did a great job of developing me, getting me ready to go. My teammates accepted me, and it makes it easy for me to jump in and just know my role and play. I know that the big jump from your first year to your second year is huge, and it’s all about if you go back to work with the same mindset. What got me here, I have to continue to do that so I can continue to grow as a player.”
- Bo Nix (via team PR)
Nix made those particular comments immediately after the game in Buffalo when he had to meet the press as is usual for quarterbacks after a game. But when the Broncos cleared out their lockers on Monday, he gave a comment when asked the question about what he maybe wishes he would have known when he was drafted that he knows now that his first year in the NFL is in the books...
“I knew that I’d be able to slow it down and just treat it as just football the old-fashioned way, 11-on-11. We work on offense to move the ball and go score, and they play with 11. They’re either going to come out in man or zone. They’re either going to blitz you, or they’re not. When you keep it simple, and you can play fast, play quick, play decisive. It helps a lot. So as it went, I was able to become more and more comfortable, and it allowed me to play well down the stretch.”
- Bo Nix
There was a clear moment when things "clicked" for Nix this year after those first two games where he and the offense really struggled to move the ball. Nix didn't throw a single touchdown pass until the fourth game of the season. Considering he finished the year with 29 passing touchdowns -- 2nd most in NFL history for a rookie QB -- I'd say things pretty clearly "slowed down" for him.
And the fact that the game slowed down for Nix even as a rookie should be terrifying news for the rest of the NFL. The fact that he's going to be able to grow within the offense and maintain some continuity on the coaching staff should be scary for the rest of the league. Nix doesn't have to focus on the NFL Draft process from January-late April, he gets to focus on growing as a player and self-scouting from his rookie year.
Nix's growth over the course of his rookie season without hitting any sort of rookie wall should have every fan in Broncos Country absolutely giddy about what he's going to be able to do in taking a leap in his second NFL season.