Sean Payton Offers Impressive Compliment to Bo Nix After Minicamp Practice

Sean Payton is liking what he's seeing early on from Bo Nix.

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton and quarterback Bo Nix at rookie minicamp. / Ben Swanson/Denver Broncos

There will be days when new Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix is forced to play recovery shots from the rough — such is the unpredictable nature of the NFL. In the meantime, the Broncos' first-round pick is playing some target golf in a controlled environment, but head coach Sean Payton likes the rhythmical stroke, as it were, Nix is displaying at rookie minincamp.

“He had two or three down-the-field throws today,” Payton said on Saturday. “It’s almost like watching a good golfer. Sometimes when you watch his game over two years, there’s a patience to how he plays. The ball comes out, and — I don’t want to use the term ‘boring,’ that’s not the right term, but [he makes] pretty good decisions. With each play, the efficiency of how he’s operating, and all of that.”

While Payton seemed to exude satisfaction in what he saw from Nix, the installation of his offense is still in its infancy. For as much as Payton is content to load Nix up on the finer details early on, the rookie will also be expected to fill the role of a dynamic playmaker.

“We’ve always valued that in the position, players that can create,” said Payton. “You go back to Steve Young. So it’s our game a little bit, relative to protections and when the pocket gets a little muddy, the ability for the quarterback to move some, move a lot, and make the right decisions. That’s the same for Zach Wilson, it’s going to be the same for Jarrett [Stidham]. Those guys have good movement skills. So it’s a trait we look for.”

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Payton is putting the onus on establishing a platform whereby Nix and the entire quarterback room will be armed with the requisite knowledge of his complex offense. Once they all get it mastered to Payton's satisfaction, the green light will be given to add their own creative nuisances into the mix.

Obviously, all eyes will be focused on how well Nix absorbs the level of detail his head coach is going to land right in his lap. Of course, Nix was drafted in large part because the Broncos felt the 24-year-old could more than handle the cerebral part of being a professional signal caller, as critical as that is, and it sounds like he got the memo.

“It’s all about studying and taking one play at a time," Nix said on Saturday. "Master it and make sure you know the fundamentals and technique of that play and what the play-caller’s intent is. Essentially, they just want to see you got out and execute it."

A willingness to learn comes as part of the deal when you work alongside a coach like Payton. Last year, Russell Wilson wanted to free-wheel and do his own thing, but Nix likes to be coached up and stick to the script he's been given.

“And it’s my job as a quarterback to get the play started and get the ball where it’s supposed to be given,” Nix said. “So a lot of that’s completing passes [and] run-game operation. It can be a lot. But I feel like I’m being taught really well by the coaches. They’re doing a really good job of narrowing everything down and making it simple so I can just get up there and process and play fast.”

It's early, but the winds of change are already blowing through Dove Valley. 

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