Broncos First-Round QB Bo Nix Sends Message to Arm Strength Critics

The Denver Broncos introduced Bo Nix as their 2024 first-round draft pick and the former Oregon star had a lot to say.

Dec 9, 2023; New York, New York, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Bo Nix meets the media during a press / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

On Friday, the Denver Broncos held Bo Nix's introductory press conference. Less than 24 hours removed from Denver making him the No. 12 overall pick in the NFL draft, the former Oregon quarterback looked like a natural holding court with local media.

Nix's intelligence was apparent, as was his charisma. There's no reason to doubt whether he'll be able to fit in with his new Broncos teammates. Nix's five-year collegiate career — spanned across the SEC and PAC-12 — afforded him the experience to get comfortable at the podium, and that was palpable on Friday in his first-ever presser as a pro.

Nix joins a Broncos quarterback room that features the newly-arrived Zach Wilson, and incumbents Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci. However, Wilson's arrival via trade from New York earlier this week perhaps muddies the water on Nix's rookie outlook.

After Sean Payton revealed on Thursday night that Nix will have to sing for supper, the Broncos' rookie was asked what his expectations for 2024 are — the implied question being: Do you expect to start?

“Well first, my goal for this year is to do whatever I can quite simply do to help this franchise and organization succeed at a high level and win games," Nix said. "All players, I think that’s our job. We show up each and every day to do whatever we can to win games. We have a great opportunity here. It’s an unreal organization. [The] fans are incredible... So for me, I just have to start from somewhere and just grow each and every day to be the best player that I can possibly be for my teammates and for my coaches. I’m so excited to be a part of this quarterback room with Ben, Zach, and Jarrett."

What happens next for the Broncos? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second, sign up for our free newsletter, and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

Nix complimented his fellow Broncos quarterbacks by saying they've "all had great careers thus far," but he also acknowledged the unique traits each player brings to the table. It'll be interesting to see what dynamic is between Nix and Stidham.

Nix followed Stidham at Auburn, and looked up to the older QB.

"I followed Jarrett at Auburn, and I didn’t get a chance to be his teammate, but [I] looked up to him on my way through," Nix said of Stidham. "I’ve obviously watched a lot of Zach as he went through the process, and I’m really excited to get to know Ben. I can’t wait to be around those guys. I know we’re going to have a really good group. A group that’s going to push each other and make each other better and support one another, too.”

It wasn't the shy, reserved response one often hears espoused by a newly-drafted QB, nor was it the type of cocky, arrogant reply of a rookie trying to posture himself as the superior option before having ever stepped on the NFL grass. Nix's comments about the QB room showcase his maturity and intelligence, and more than anything, they smacked of being genuine. He sounds truly excited to get to work with Denver's veteran trio.

Much has been made of the Broncos' QB carousel since Peyton Manning retired in 2016. If he wins the QB1 job out of camp, Nix is poised to be the 14th quarterback to start for the Broncos since Super Bowl 50.

As a 24-year-old rookie, Nix is the literally the most experienced college quarterback of all time. His 61 career starts are an NCAA record, and when it comes to finally putting a stop to Denver's QB carousel, Nix reckons that all that experience will serve him well.

“I think experience is one of the best teachers, really in anything," Nix said. "The more you do something, the better you should get at it. Whatever happens, I know that I’m around a great support staff. I’m around great coaches who have been doing this at a high level for a very long time. I’m going to be able to take it all in, learn as much as I possibly can, grow as much as I possibly can, just to where I can be the best version of myself so I can give that to my teammates, and I can give that to this organization... So I can’t wait, and I’m so excited to be here.”

Nix described all the Drew Brees comparisons pre-draft as "surreal." People can question Nix's arm strength and there will always be the Monday morning quarterbacks who will cast a pall on his initial career by claiming the Broncos reached by drafting him at No. 12 overall.

The tropes surrounding Nix's arm talent are among the most ridiculous and over-hyped I've ever seen since I began covering the Broncos and the NFL draft back in 2012. However, it was a talking point that followed him around his pre-draft cycle like a storm cloud. Nix isn't losing any sleep over it because it's not only in the rearview, but he landed in the ideal spot to be able to silence all those critics.

“Quite frankly, I completed a lot of long ones, too," Nix said in response to his high completion percentage and the volume of check-downs and screens he threw at Oregon. "I don’t mind when people go back and watch the film. They can see everything they need to watch. That’s here and gone... So I’m excited, and I don’t think I have to show anything else because I’m at the perfect spot now. I just can’t wait to get to work with the team.”

The bottom line is that Payton chose Nix to be his quarterback. In the wake of the messy and costly Russell Wilson divorce, Payton has embarked on a rebuild in Denver, and the team will be wrought in his image.

No single player will take on the face of that image more than Nix — the quarterback Payton handpicked to be the cornerstone of his rebuild. The magnitude of that fact, and all of the implications it draws, isn't lost on the Heisman Trophy finalist.

“First and foremost, it’s just a huge honor. He could have picked anybody else in this draft, and he chose me," Nix said of Payton. "With that comes great responsibility and it’s one that I can’t take lightly, and I won’t take it for granted. It starts with the next best thing I can do. I’m about to finish this press conference, and then go finish up the [facility] tour and then have a few weeks before the rookie minicamps. I have a lot to learn before then, so I’m glad there are two weeks of buffer time so I can get a lot of that in. I’m just excited to be his guy. It’s not lightly said."

Nix is champing at the bit to do exactly what it is Payton drafted him to do.

"I want to be able to show my improvements and show that I can do what he picked me to do, and that’s go out there and win games or help win games or do whatever I can to put this team in a better situation," Nix said.

Between now and Denver's rookie minicamp in early May, there's the small matter of the Broncos giving Zach Wilson the No. 10 jersey earlier this week. That's long been Nix's number, so if the Broncos simply reassign it to the rookie first-rounder, and he doesn't have to purchase it from Wilson, it'll be further evidence of how Payton feels about him.

It would be symbolic of Nix taking precedence over the other quarterbacks in the room. And further evidence of Payton's plan for him to be the future franchise quarterback who finally leads the Broncos out of the NFL doldrums.

Follow Mile High Huddle on X and Facebook and subscribe on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!