Broncos Legend Sends Message to 'Arm Strength' Critics of QB Bo Nix

There's a lot to digest here but tell us where Mark Schlereth is wrong.

Oregon quarterback Bo Nix throws out a pass during warm ups as the No. 9 Oregon Ducks host / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA

As the dust settles on the Denver Broncos' 2024 draft class, the vultures continue to pick at Bo Nix. The national media grades have mostly been harsh to the Broncos because they believe Sean Payton and company reached when selecting Nix at No. 12 overall.

Opinions will remain divided until more tangible proof of what Nix can produce in the NFL emerges. In the meantime, Broncos legend Mark Schlereth sang Nix's praises and touched on the unique attributes that should define him.

"When you watch him, he is on time and on target. And I've said this before, you cannot be on target if you're not on time. If you're not on time with the football, you won't be on target. And he reads defenses, and he throws it to a spot where his guys can catch it underneath or intermediately and turn and run. Like that's what you want. So, yeah, there are a lot of traits that I understand why, and I thought he had the best, the quickest release, and he was the most accurate underneath, which is where the game in the NFL is played these days," Schlereth said on the Schlereth & Evans Show on Denver radio.

.@markschlereth of @DenverSportsCom and @NFLonFOX likes what he sees of Bo Nix.

“When you watch him, he is on time and on target. And I’ve said this before: You cannot be on target if you’re not on time, and If you are not on time with the football, you won’t be on target.” pic.twitter.com/SWyvncKPu9

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) May 1, 2024

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For as long as anyone can remember, the majority of NFL disciples prefer the swashbuckling gunslinger — armed with a cannon for an arm. Nix was never going to check that box for a team.

That's not the point. Payton was looking for a QB who could anticipate his throws to get the ball out of his hand both quickly and accurately.  Once you understand that, the pall over the Nix selection begins to dissipate, and the plethora of sub-par draft grades becomes even more irrelevant in the bigger picture.

Schlereth's remarks should help frame things in a more realistic and balanced context, but only if one chooses to listen. Obsessing over arm strength is for those with football blinders on, and who have hitched their wagon to the likes of Jay Cutler. 

At his core, Nix is a completely different kind of quarterback, and he's primarily built for a different kind of offense.

"No. Jay Cutler had great arm talent. How'd that work out? Like that is—if you throw with anticipation and on time, you know what you can make up for? Lack of supreme arm talent. Brock Purdy doesn't have supreme arm talent. There's a lot—did Tom Brady have supreme arm talent? Did Drew Brees? Peyton Manning? I mean, Philip Rivers, did he have supreme arm talent? So, stop with the arm talent thing," Schlereth said.

Broncos Country can always trust in Schlereth's ability to spit the unvarnished truth. That being said, a greater understanding of why the Broncos decided that Nix was their guy might remain lost on the wider NFL for some time to come.

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