3 Big Improvements Broncos QB Bo Nix can Make to Silence Critics

Bo Nix was excellent as a rookie but he has plenty of room for improvement if he wants to slience his lingering skeptics.

Erick Trickel | Mar 4, 2025

Jan 5, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) scrambles with the ball in the second quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Empower Field at Mile High. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

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Denver Broncos

Last year, Denver Broncos GM George Paton and head coach Sean Payton descended upon the NFL Combine to find their future franchise quarterback. The Broncos brass found their guy, landing Oregon quarterback Bo Nix with the 12th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

The Broncos were back in Indianapolis, IN, to find the pieces to help Nix take the next step after a historic rookie season. Nix’s rookie season set ream and league records and was good enough to get the Broncos back into the playoffs.

Back in the dance — as short-lived as it was — the Broncos need to find ways to return and take the next step, secure a playoff win. Adding more talent around Nix will help, but there are some things he can do to silence his harshest critics.

How do I know? Because I've been one of those critics. Making three big improvements would go a long way toward cementing Nix's status as a legitimate franchise quarterback, eliminating any and all doubt.

Consistency in the Intermediate Areas of the Field

Nix did many great things as a rookie, but he consistently struggled in the intermediate area of the field. Adding talent around him could help, but he still has to find ways to improve here in case the Broncos are unable to acquire game-changing talent, especially if the players brought in take time to launch.

Nix had the sixth-worst completion percentage in the NFL in the 10-19-yard range. His EPA/dropback was also the sixth-worst in the intermediate range despite throwing for the 16th-most yards (out of 35 QBs) and the sixth-most touchdowns.

Nix's eight interceptions in this range tied with Baker Mayfield, with Kirk Cousins as the only quarterback behind them. That hurt. Mayfield threw 13 touchdowns to Nix’s nine in the intermediate zone, and Cousins had a worse EPA/dropback than the Broncos quarterback in this range.

Adding talent will help, but Nix has to work in the film room to improve his reads. This area of the field often relies on timing and precision, which are strengths in Nix’s game, especially under 10 yards, so he needs to expand it to 19 yards downfield.

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Eliminate Happy Feet & Phantom Pressure

One of the most frustrating things with Nix was his happy feet. Did he face pressure at times? Yes, but he often abandoned the pocket even without pressure getting to him.

When Nix felt this phantom pressure, it would lead to mechanical breakdowns, and those issues helped create his aforementioned problems in the intermediate range.

If Nix can cut down on the happy feet and the abandonment of clean pockets, it could help the Broncos offense become an even more significant threat. You cut the field in half when you get out of the pocket, which can hurt the offense, which is especially true with Payton's style of offense, which relies so much on spacing.

The Broncos' offensive line had a good season, and it ranked first in ESPN's pass block win rate as a unit. The Broncos did give up pressure, but not as often as Nix made it seem.

Nix has to cut down on the happy feet, which has also been such a constant issue for Russell Wilson in his career. If Nix can’t figure out how to handle this and operate from the pocket, even when things get muddy, he will hold the offense back some. Despite a great rookie season, these moments persisted.

Execute vs. Complex Coverages

This was a lot to ask of a rookie, but as Nix enters Year 2, it must be a point of emphasis. Defenses that threw well-disguised coverages at Nix saw a lot of success, including the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs. It was challenging as Nix had to face two hard-to-read defenses to start his career, but exposing him to it that early should’ve helped see improvement as the season went on.

While Nix showed some improvement here, it was minimal, with his success mainly coming against defenses that lacked the talent needed to confound quarterbacks in coverage. There were many more basic looks, which meant more simple reads for Nix and more success. That's great, and so were the results against simplistic coverages, as the Broncos won 10 games and returned to the playoffs.

However, if the Broncos want to push for a playoff win under Nix or the divisional title, they need him to improve in this area. It's on Paton and Payton to build the nest around him, and they know it, but they also need Nix to do his part.

Undoubtedly, the young quarterback will put the work in; the kid loves football and has the drive to be one of the best. But he'll have to make all that work materialize on the field come September.

Consistency in the Intermediate Areas of the Field

Eliminate Happy Feet & Phantom Pressure

Execute vs. Complex Coverages

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