The Denver Broncos struggled finding their identity on the offensive side of the ball prior to quarterback Bo Nix's arrival last offseason.
After sneaking into the playoffs as a wildcard team, the Broncos' offensive unit is trending upward. The former Oregon Ducks star quarterback, Nix will look to avoid a sophomore slump and lead Denver back to the playoffs this upcoming season.
Jared Dubin of CBS Sports ranked the best offensive trios in the NFL and slotted Nix and the Broncos as the No. 21 trio in the NFL. The ranking puts the Broncos towards the bottom half of the league, which is surprising considering Nix's play is trending up after a stellar rookie season and they added a solid rookie back in R.J. Harvey.
"I think people have a hard time knowing what to do with Nix, who executed Sean Payton's offense at a very high level as a rookie and is clearly a high-floor player, but who might not have the same type of ceiling as the other quarterbacks from his class. People have high hopes for Harvey, though, and Sutton is a very good X receiver type," Dubin said.
After passing for 3,775 yards and 29 touchdowns last season, Nix silenced a lot of critics who were questioning Denver's investment in him as they took the Oregon product with the No. 12 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
One of the longest-tenured players on the Broncos, wide receiver Courtland Sutton enters year eight in Denver. After a rough three year stretch that was mired by inconsistent quarterback play, Sutton picked up his second 1,000 yard season as a pro with Nix as his quarterback.
The ranking of No. 21 is more of a slight towards Nix's weapons on the Broncos' offense. Harvey was a second round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. He rushed for over 1,400 yards twice at UCF during his four-year career in Orlando. It's fair to say that Harvey is unproven in the NFL, but with a productive rookie season, the Broncos could be much higher on this list.
Interestingly enough, fellow Oregon product and current Los Angeles Chargers' quarterback Justin Herbert checked in on Dubin's ranking as part of the No. 13 trio in the NFL. Herbert and the Chargers will have higher expectations in year two of the Jim Harbaugh tenure.
Herbert and the Chargers will have a real chance to end up inside the top 10 trios in the NFL if they are able to stay healthy. The AFC West has turned into one of the most competitive divisions in football and with quarterbacks like Nix and Herbert battling week in and week out, it's not hard to see why.
