Broncos Vet DL Gushes Over Bo Nix: 'He's Really Impressive'

Bo Nix has earned some props from the Denver Broncos' veteran ranks already.

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

The offseason training program provides an ideal opportunity for the Denver Broncos coaching staff to get a feel for the roster and what it has to offer. Players also get to see what kind of chops the guys have around them bring to the table.

Broncos defensive lineman Zach Allen got his eyes on his new rookie teammate Bo Nix for the first time this spring, and certain things jumped out at the veteran.

"Yeah, I think he's really mature," Allen said via Andrew Mason of Denver Sports. "Obviously, for a rookie, the way that he just conducts himself on and off the field is really impressive. And he's just a great guy, great player, and that's all you can ask for. And, you know, obviously, it's early, and I won't say I'm a genius at quarterback play, so I'm not going to act like I know what I'm looking at, but there's definitely some throws that are really impressive and excited to see kind of how things play out."

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Allen's inside read on Nix's maturity levels is not an isolated thing. Those 61 starts the quarterback made in college add up.

That experience Nix gained at both Auburn and Oregon made him really stick out to head coach Sean Payton during the pivotal pre-draft process. Most early returns have been positive and Payton has praised Nix's assimilation of the offense so far.

Even Allen's self-confessed basic quarterback evaluation skills attest to that being the case. Without getting too far ahead of themselves, the work the Broncos did when scouting Nix is showing some early signs of bearing fruit.

Not that Coach Payton is taking all the credit for the pick; it was a team effort, which also included the involvement of Broncos QBs coach Davis Webb.

"He was part of it," Payton said of Webb's involvement in pinpointing Nix. "The one thing we tried to do as best as we could was to isolate the opinions, in other words, until the meetings. We are going through the process, and we are getting to the final meetings. So [OC] Joe [Lombardi] has had extensive background with the position, [Senior Offensive Assistant] Pete Carmichael and certainly Davis. We had a number of resources along with our scouting department that really helped us arrive at the best decision. We took advantage of that. I knew going into the process that we would be experienced there and have a number of expert eyes for that position."

Hopes are high that Nix can build on the early momentum he's built so far just recently and translate it to making massive strides in training camp. Until further notice, Nix remains in an open competition with last season's incumbent starter Jarrett Stidham, and veteran newcomer Zach Wilson.

While any potential concerns that Nix might not pick up the system quickly were always low, nagging question marks over a perceived lack of arm strength were always a top-level focus of Payton's post-draft critics. But according to Allen's up-close-and-personal testimonial, there will be no need to press any panic buttons over Nix's arm. He can sling it.

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