Pat Surtain II Shares 'Confident' Forecast for Bo Nix's 2025 Season

While training camp will prove to fans just how focused the Denver Broncos actually are, it's still safe to say that a significant culture change has occurred over the past two years. Recruiting players with previous Super Bowl experience, such as linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga, was meant to nurture the new culture and help take the team to a championship level. 

With the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Patrick Surtain II, on the defensive side, and second-year quarterback Bo Nix on offense, the Broncos have two leadership pillars drilled deep into the bedrock. That's big for culture cultivation.

Nix certainly didn't perform like a rookie last year, producing results that belied his relative NFL inexperience. Entering Year 2, Surtain is high on the growth Nix can show, after delivering so much as a rookie.

"It's definitely about building off what he did last year," Surtain said from his youth football camp on Saturday, via DNVR's Zac Stevens. "But obviously, going into his second year, he's feeling more and more confident. Even he was confident as heck [during] his rookie year. But he's going to carry on that confidence, and that composure... going into year two. So I'm very excited for him and what he's able to do for our offense." 

It may be true that defenses still win championships, but there's absolutely no denying that Nix holds the key to the Broncos chasing their championship goals. This offseason has seen Nix given more arrows to put in his quiver, but there's a significant task at hand to ensure everyone is rowing in the same direction through the Broncos' arduous 17-game campaign. 

Nix has a new tight end in Evan Engram and a rebuilt running back room to get integrated during training camp. Surtain mentioned how maintaining his composure will be fundamental if Nix is going to flourish.

Now that Nix is driving a Ferrari, he must be wary not to burn out the clutch at times. In the face of many pundits insisting that Nix could suffer through a sophomore slump, he must shut out all the outside noise and not press too hard to make things happen.

Leaning on his improved arsenal of playmakers and Sean Payton committing to running the ball behind a solid veteran offensive line are part of the bigger picture for Nix. Furthermore, not putting his potentially dominant defense in bad spots and sustaining scoring drives should keep the unit fresh enough to attack teams late in games, and that's exactly what the doctor ordered for Vance Joseph. 

Playing complementary football relies upon having a calm and composed quarterback under center, a fact that hasn't escaped Surtain's attention. With Nix leading the franchise forward, there's a reason the expectations have skyrocketed around the new-look Broncos.

Composure counts.