Joe Lombardi has football roots and has been coaching in the NFL since 2006, so he's seen a thing or two. He's primarily been on Sean Payton's staffs and has been with the Broncos as the team's offensive coordinator since 2023, when the Payton era began.
He might fly under the radar a bit, as Sean Payton calls the plays, and quarterbacks coach Davis Webb seems to garner some attention, but Lombardi is clearly still a very valued coach on the offense and has surely been intrumental in Bo Nix being able to develop into one of the league's best young quarterbacks.
Bo Nix has definitely had more command of the offense and has looked a lot more comfortable in all phases this year for the Broncos. When speaking to the media on Thursday, Lombardi only reinforced this with some glowing reviews.
Joe Lombardi says that Bo Nix is 'thinking less' and is more patient in the pocket
There has to be a fine line between being patient in the pocket and also being able to think less, but Bo Nix has been able to do it:
Bo Nix is “thinking less” and more patient in the pocket, per Joe Lombardi.
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) January 1, 2026
Was proud how he led long drives in the Raiders and Chiefs game.
The one way Bo Nix can sustain success in this league for the next decade is to be able to play and win from the pocket - it's the main reason why Tom Brady was able to play for so long, and why Philip Rivers was signed off the couch and started for the Indianapolis Colts recently.
We did see Nix leave clean pockets from time to time in 2024, but there is a sense of comfortability that Nix now has. Sure, he can make plays with his legs, but it's obvious that the coaches want him to primarily win from the pocket and use his legs when needed.
But the comment of him apparently 'thinking' less is interesting to me, as there are so many moving parts in just one play that a high level of thinking has to happen, but my guess here is that Lombardi is probably talking about paralysis by analysis to a degree.
Too much thinking could be a detriment to quarterbacks, especially when they have to win from the pocket. Hearing Joe Lombardi say these things about Bo Nix is excellent news and only more proof that the Denver Broncos are in good hands for the long-term.
Bo Nix can clearly do a little bit of everything at the position and is absolutely, undoubtedly, a franchise quarterback.