PFF Makes Bold Claim About Bo Nix Replacing Russell Wilson as Broncos' QB1

Did the Denver Broncos get this decision right? It's only the fate of the franchise...

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

Pro Football Focus is sending mixed signals when it comes to the Denver Broncos. Throughout the entire offseason, various PFF writers have panned the Broncos' roster, poorly graded the team's NFL draft haul, and criticized Sean Payton's squad in one form or another.

However, PFF's Trevor Sikkema has mostly stayed consistent — at least on the subject of first-round rookie Bo Nix and Denver's 2024 draft class, which he graded at A-. In an article listing each AFC team's best 2024 decision, Sikkema pointed to the Broncos releasing Russell Wilson and replacing him with Nix as the prime call.

"Yes, taking on a combined dead cap hit of $85 million to have one player not play for your franchise was the Broncos' 'best' move.

"Denver bit the bullet in cutting ties with the underperforming Russell Wilson and then tried to make the most of things by securing a first-round rookie quarterback on a cost-controlled salary with a fifth-year option. The Broncos made other solid moves this offseason, but the best was simply moving on from Wilson," Sikkema wrote.

Sikkema chose his words carefully regarding Nix, emphasizing the Broncos' intestinal fortitude to release Wilson as the team's "best" move. NFL media's top draftniks, a club to which Sikkema belongs, have been very cautious about treading into hyperbole when it comes to Nix.

Meahwhile, Nix has done nothing but excel since becoming a pro, earning universal praise from his coaches, veteran teammates, and media observers. "As advertised" is the term we heard most about Nix during the offseason training program.

In the immediate aftermath of April's draft, Sikkema was mostly positive about Nix, although, months later, he's still somewhat reticent to offer a complimentary word about the former Oregon star.

"Nix's experience manifests in the form of pre-snap reads, play under pressure and avoiding negatives. His footwork needs to be more disciplined, and he will take some time to really read progressions better in the NFL, but he is a quarterback with starting-caliber tools in his arm and his legs with added out-of-structure playmaking," Sikkema wrote on May 8.

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!

When interviewing for the Broncos head-coaching vacancy in January of 2023, Payton reportedly committed to the Walton/Penner ownership group to work with Wilson as his QB1 for a year. However, Payton sought assurances that if things didn't work out with Wilson, and his best efforts weren't enough to turn back the tides of Father Time, he'd have ownership's blessing to move on and find his own guy.

The Walton/Penners obliged, giving Payton the final say, reportedly, on roster decisions, eclipsing the previous pecking order and purview of Broncos GM George Paton. Payton did have a positive impact on Wilson, but the veteran quarterback's devastating penchants for holding onto the ball too long, taking sacks, and not reading the entire field eventually led to his benching entering Week 17.

All told, Payton was a net-positive on Wilson, improving his touchdown-to-interception ratio from 16-to-11 to 26-to-8, and his QB rating from 84.4 to 98.0. Alas, Wilson still took a whopping 45 sacks in 2023, which was only a 10-sack improvement over his 2022 season.

Payton's system is based on having a quarterback who is an extension of the coach on the field. Timing, rhythm, quick processing, and decision-making, as well as accuracy, are the hallmarks of a Payton quarterback, traditionally. Wilson checked none of those boxes, although his deep-ball accuracy was still elite.

Payton ripped the Wilson band-aid off with gusto, triggering an NFL record $85 million dead-money hit on the salary cap, which the Broncos will absorb over the next two seasons. Just two years removed from signing a five-year, $245 million extension with the Broncos, Wilson is now being paid by the Walton/Penners to play quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

But releasing Wilson was only half the battle. Payton had to find his guy, as Jarrett Stidham showed nothing in the two starts he received after Wilson's benching that would indicate franchise quarterback potential.

Payton zeroed in on Nix, a Heisman Trophy finalist this past season — and a quarterback whom some media draftniks and former players compared to future Hall-of-Famer Drew Brees. Many draftniks graded Nix as a Day 2 quarterback, slamming the Broncos for "reaching" on him at pick No. 12 overall.

Payton laughs at the notion that Nix was meant to hear his name called in the second round, dismissing such critiques as the bloviations of the ignorant.

"When I hear people say this guy he could have gotten in the second or third round, I know they don’t know what they’re talking about," Payton told friend and FOX Sports' NFL insider Jay Glazer during an appearance on the Unbreakable podcast.

As the Broncos' only incumbent quarterback, and thus, the only one with any experience in Payton's scheme, Stidham has maintained the QB1 designation thus far. But the team's open quarterback competition won't start in earnest until training camp arrives at the end of this month.

It'll be interesting to see how Nix acquits himself in camp and preseason action. We know what Stidham is, as well as veteran newcomer Zach Wilson, and their respective limitations.

Nix was Payton's handpicked quarterback, so rest assured that the head coach is anxious to get his guy on the field sooner rather than later. The Broncos gambled by releasing Wilson in the face of some punitive contract ramifications, but Payton can emerge as the big winner and he who laughs last if Nix turns out to be the guy.

As Sikkema writes, one of the benefits of hitting on a first-round quarterback is the cost-control a team gets over his first five years in the NFL. Those benefits can only be reaped, however, if/when said quarterback starts and produces at a level commensurate with his draft pedigree.

Time will tell on Nix. But the early returns? As advertised.

Broncos Country's first opportunity to test Payton's quarterback hypothesis will be in Week 2 when Wilson and the Steelers arrive for a revenge-laden throwdown at Mile High.

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