5 players the Denver Broncos cannot afford to lose in the 2024 NFL Season

QB Bo Nix

This is pretty obvious, right? The Denver Broncos will not sustain success in the NFL with this new era if Bo Nix is not a franchise QB. He was named the starter for the 2024 NFL Season after beating out Zach Wilson and Jarrett Stidham. I am not sure there was a legitimate QB competition to begin with, as I firmly believe Sean Payton intended to start Bo Nix.

However, Bo Nix missing time will not only make the Denver Broncos worse, but it could also stunt Nix's development. The crucial time on task is going to be huge for Bo Nix. Yes, some people may argue that a QB sitting for a year is better for their development, but I am not sure it's better than actually playing and taking their lumps as they progress through year one.

This is what Bo Nix is going to do, as I am not sure there is a better way to learn than to learn hands-on. Fortunately, the young quarterback simply does not take many sacks at all; he did not take a single sack in the preseason and did not get sacked a ton in college, either. This is crucial for Sean Payton's offense, as he likes his passers to get the ball out on time.

And we've seen that Bo Nix can navigate the pocket well and make some plays out of structure. Being able to do this while not taking a lot of sacks is going to make Denver's offense that much more efficient, and it'll also keep him out of harm's way.

There could be some untapped potential with Zach Wilson, who would probably end up starting in place of Bo Nix, but Nix has the most potential of any QB on the Denver Broncos roster at the moment, and it'll derail the team's season if he misses time.