The Denver Broncos have a special quarterback with Bo Nix, and it feels like most of what we have talked about this offseason has been centered around his unfortunate ankle break in the AFC Divisional Round, a victory over the Buffalo Bills.
Had Nix not broken his ankle, a Super Bowl title would have realistically been in reach, especially seeing how the AFC Championship Game went. Nix has since been recovering from another ankle injury. He's had to deal with ankle ailments in both high school and college.
What is an advantage for Nix here is how young he still is, and obviously how well he's been taken care of during this recovery process - we could surely assume that Nix has had the best doctors and other trainers working with him to get to 100 percent recovery. After an OTA practice on Thursday, head coach Sean Payton provided a Nix update that every Broncos fan wanted to hear.
Denver Broncos HC Sean Payton provides ideal update on Bo Nix's mobility
The latest Nix update is music to the ears' of Broncos fans across the globe:
Bo Nix is going to be “completely clean mobility wise” per Sean Payton.
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) June 11, 2026
Sean doesn’t believe his mobility will be hindered at all, despite the ankle injury.
Payton himself is a pretty matter-of-fact when he speaks, and given that Nix is getting close to returning, this update feels rather significant. While Nix doesn't have gaudy rushing totals through two years in the NFL, his mobility impact is bigger than just rushing yards.
There might not be a quarterback in the NFL right now who is better at evading sacks than Nix, and this was an immediate strength of his even as a rookie back in 2024. Through two seasons in the NFL, in 34 regular season games, Nix has been sacked just 46 times.
For reference, New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was sacked 47 times in 17 games in 2025. Furthermore, Maye has been sacked a whopping 81 times in 30 regular season games. Another example might be even more eye-opening. Patrick Mahomes was sacked 34 times in 14 games on the Kansas City Chiefs in 2025.
Sacked 24 times in 2024 and 22 times in 2025, Nix has limited the negative plays, and this even dates back to his collegiate days at Auburn and Oregon. This is where his mobility shines. While he can make plays with his legs and gain some yards, it's clear that he first prioritizes simply not getting sacked.
And having this part of his game still available is going to be phenomenal in year three. Now that a huge upgrade hit the room in wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, we could see Nix's sack total fall further in 2026.
Given that this has been a huge strength of his from day one, there is reason to believe it will remain a strength for much of his career. There always could be a mental hurdle to climb here since this was a significant injury, but, medically speaking, Nix appears to be trending toward having no issues with the ankle heading into a major 2026.
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