Sean Payton Goes Superlative in Praise for Broncos Rookie QB Bo Nix

Bo Nix isn't throwing it well. He's "throwing it extremely well," according to Sean Payton.

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

When last we heard from Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton on the subject of rookie quarterback Bo Nix, he talked about how quickly the first-rounder was picking things up, and even claimed that the former Heisman Trophy finalist was "farther along than most."

That was a week ago, following the first Broncos OTA practice open to the media that included both the vets and the rookies. Tucked within the context of Payton's update last week were the observations of Nix rotating in and out of first-team reps with veteran quarterbacks Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson.

On Thursday, with Nix having several practices under his belt, most of which haven't been observed by media, Payton offered up a progress report. Going back over all the events that the media hasn't been privy to and trying to bring everyone up to speed on Nix, Payton likened it to a Netflix streaming experience.

“It’s hard for me to refresh. It’s hard for me to catch you up like on a Netflix series," Payton said. "You guys watched one [episode], and then you missed three, and then you watched one and I’m trying to catch you up, but all three of [the quarterbacks] are doing well. Specifically to Bo, he’s doing really well. He’s picking it up. There’s a lot that’s going in. He’s throwing the ball extremely well.”

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It's interesting to see Payton lean into his Nix praise. He's not doing well, he's doing really well. Nix isn't just throwing the ball well, he's doing it extremely well.

For a coach who's traditionally been rather stingy with any public praise of a player, it's encouraging to hear. But, obviously, it stops well short of guaranteeing the Broncos will open the 2024 season with Nix as the starter.

I would think that the Broncos are moving in that direction with their first-round quarterback, but there's still a long row left to hoe, and there are other variables at play. Namely, Stidham and Wilson.

Training camp will be the next big litmus test for Payton to get a bead on whether Nix is ready for a starter's responsibilities. Then comes the preseason, which will expose the rookie to outside competition, and especially, as Payton put it, the "speed" and "length" differences that Nix will have to acclimate to relative to getting the ball out, timing, and throwing windows.

“I think that you immediately begin to feel the speed difference and the reaction difference and the length. What was open in college, those windows were bigger," Payton said of rookie quarterbacks acclimating to the NFL. "Generally speaking, then you begin to adapt to the timing. One of the things that all of these (Broncos quarterbacks) [do is] get the ball out quick. Holding on to the ball and waiting can sometimes be obviously detrimental. I think it’s the studying and the understanding of the defensive scheme, and then understanding where the windows are in regard to the spacing. I do think that begins the first time you’re out here and everyone is moving around full speed. It’s like, ‘Wow!’ The speed of your simulator just went up a little bit.”

Nix has almost certainly experienced such epiphanies since he's begun to assimilate to the pro game. But to hear from the coach that, despite the elevation in the speed and length of the defenders opposite him, Nix is doing "very well" and is throwing it "extremely well," fans can take that as a sign that none of it has been above or beyond the rookie's capabilities thus far.

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