Coming off a season in which he was a finalist for Offensive Rookie of the Year, expectations for Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix are greater than ever.
CBS Sports named the former Oregon Ducks quarterback a “promising prospect” in its latest quarterback rankings. Nix was placed into a tier alongside three other second-year quarterbacks who have the potential for breakout seasons.
Nix became the first Broncos rookie to start the season at quarterback since John Elway in 1983. His rookie year got off to a rough start, however, throwing two interceptions in his debut and going three games without recording a passing touchdown.
As the season progressed, Nix’s play improved. He finished the season with 29 passing touchdowns on 3,775 yards and set a franchise record for rookie quarterback wins.
His career-high performance of 321 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-0 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in the season finale secured Denver’s first playoff appearance since 2015.
With a year of NFL experience under his belt and already a taste of postseason play, 2025 offers Nix an opportunity to build off his rookie season.
Broncos’ left tackle Garett Bolles raved about his teammate during a recent appearance on NFL Network’s The Insiders.
“He's a freak of nature. You look at the numbers that he put up last year, between him and [Jayden] Daniels, those were the two young quarterbacks in the league that's gonna be very successful, and I have one of them behind me. His demeanor, his composure, his work ethic, just always wanting to get better, his arm talent and just the way he sees it, he has swag, man, he really does."Bolles
Although Bolles places Nix and Daniels on a similar trajectory, the Washington Commanders quarterback is listed alongside MVP talent in CBS Sports’ top tier: “transcendent talents.”
The New England Patriots’ Drake Maye, the Minnesota Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy and the Chicago Bears’ former No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams join Nix as other sophomore talents poised for a big season.
While most of his second-year counterparts are 22 or 23 years old, Nix spent five years in college between stints with Auburn and Oregon and he enters year two at 25 years old. His added collegiate experience only seemed to aid him as a rookie.
“You would think a rookie like that would come in and it would be hard for him to adjust to the NFL life. I think it just pays dividends to all the snaps that he had in college and the coaching staffs that he had there with Auburn and Oregon, and then coming to Denver and embracing his role and being the leader that he is, to lead our team down the field to score points, it spoke to us. We scored a lot of points last year and we're ready to build off of what we did and continue to get better each and every day."Bolles
Nix will have some new offensive weapons this season to boost the Broncos’ playoff chances. Tight end Evan Engram, running back J.K. Dobbins and rookie running back RJ Harvey are among the new names joining the squad. Meanwhile, Nix will have familiar connections in returning wide receivers Marvin Mims Jr., Courtland Sutton and his former Oregon teammate Troy Franklin.
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This article first appeared on Oregon Ducks on SI and was syndicated with permission.
