The Denver Broncos seemed to lean heavily into rebuilding their offense during the 2024 draft. From their first selection, franchise quarterback Bo Nix, to their last pick, super-super senior Devaughn Vele, Sean Payton began filling out his offense with pieces that he was able to bring in, and not have to rely on players from a bygone era, that of Nate Hackett.
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In recent weeks, Bo Nix has become one of the NFL's most efficient and effective quarterbacks and has been the best rookie signal caller since the calendar turned to October. As with any quarterback, the recent strong play of Bo Nix has been no surprise or secret. However, one of the more shocking developments for the Broncos has been the development of the rookie offensive weapons around him. First-year pieces receiver Vele and running back Audric Estimé have taken massive steps forward, and currently find themselves as major pieces of the Broncos gameplan heading into their first true playoff push since the 2016 season.
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Vele, the rare 26-year-old rookie out of Utah, seemed to be a major surprise coming out of camp and made the initial 53-man roster for the Broncos. After a solid start to the year, Vele went down with an injury for a few weeks and was a non-factor in the Broncos offense. Vele, now back and healthy, has become a major piece for the Broncos. He has emerged as the Broncos' second receiver behind Courtland Sutton and has shown out the past two weeks. Vele hauled in four passes for 66 yards on Sunday afternoon, one week after racking up 39 receiving yards against the Chiefs. On top of receiving over 100 yards in his last two games, Vele has become the Broncos' go-to target on third and fourth downs, which does wonders for fellow rookie Nix.
Audric Estime, on the other hand, was a ghost in the Broncos offense to begin the year. He saw minimal time in week one, hit the IR, and was a bench warmer upon his return. Sean Payton turned to Estimé to change things up against the dominant Chiefs defense, and Estimé showed incredible promise in what he was given. Estimé ran for 53 yards on 13 carries and followed that up with 27 all-purpose yards against the Falcons. While 27 might not jump off the page, Estimé's play style leads to different looks for Javonte Williams, and his success as a rusher allows the Broncos to keep Williams fresh.
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And for Bo Nix? He has 11 passing touchdowns to just two interceptions in his last six games, has rushed for 176 yards, and put the Broncos in position to defeat an undefeated Chiefs team at home. As for this last game, he became the first rookie quarterback in NFL history with 300+ passing yards, four passing touchdowns, no interceptions, and a better than 80% completion rate. The kids are pretty, pretty, pretty good, and Sean Payton looks smarter by the day.