Broncos QB Room Ranked Dead-Last by PFF

Pro Football Focus is among the throngs of Bo Nix skeptics, it would seem.

May 23, 2024; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) during organized team activities at Centura Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Things got bad under center last season for the Denver Broncos. The 2024 NFL draft began to look like an oasis in the desert.

Indeed, the buyer's remorse on Russell Wilson got so bad that Denver's front office simply couldn't wait to pay for the privilege of cutting bait. The draft yielded the Broncos a potential new star in Oregon's Bo Nix to compete against incumbent Jarrett Stidham and newcomer Zach Wilson for the starting job in Denver.

After receiving some fairly glowing reviews for his composed performances at OTAs, it's fair to say that Nix is trending up. Alas, that narrative might be confined to local circles at present, because Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus has ranked Denver's QB projected QB combo of Stidham/Nix dead last in the entire league.

Nix, after being selected No. 12 overall, will be the Broncos' starter at some point, but that point might not be immediate.

Stidham just hasn't been good to this point in his NFL career. He has one season where he earned a passing grade above 56.0, and his NFL resume includes just two big-time throws to eight turnover-worthy plays. Nix’s experience and efficiency at Oregon could help him break through quickly, though his adjustment from the Ducks' offense to NFL situations could be a challenge.

- Trevor Sikkema

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In all honesty, Sikkema putting Stidham/Nix at the bottom of his lowly tier of quarterbacks isn't that surprising. Poor QB play has blighted the Broncos ever since Hall-of-Famer Peyton Manning road off into the sunset.

That all adds up to a unique situation, whereby, the clamor to rapidly insert Nix into the lineup becomes almost irresistible. That being said, PFF is not so sure that Nix will be anointed the starter in Denver just because he was selected No. 12 overall.

Should Nix need more time to assimilate the complexities of the Sean Payton offense, sticking with Stidham would make sense in theory. However, Stidham is a career backup for a reason, and as PFF astutely points out, his big-play ability has always been severely limited.

Simply drafting a quarterback doesn't always produce the instantaneous miracle solution that fans eagerly anticipate. Just how intelligently Payton manages to chop down the offensive installation into bite-sized pieces for his 24-year-old rookie QB will be crucial.

Nix was drafted primarily because Coach Payton firmly believed he was the smartest quarterback in the room, but how quickly he gets up to speed is the key to everything. In the meantime, local pundits have increasingly insisted that Nix is as advertised, but the likes of PFF and many other voices in the national media still stubbornly suggest otherwise.

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