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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos believe they can do big things with their passing offense this season — if quarterback Bo Nix can find a better rhythm from the ground up.
Nix is coming off his second straight season with at least 25 touchdown passes, and he has brought Denver to the playoffs in both of his pro seasons — including a 14-3 record and an AFC Championship Game trip in 2025. But coach Sean Payton and offensive coordinator Davis Webb have made it a priority to better sync Nix’s footwork with the routes his receivers run on each play. And they think that could smooth out some rough spots in the quarterback’s game, allowing him to reach the next level in Year 3.
“He’s a real good foot athlete … I think it’s one of his gifts,” Payton stated of Nix, who spent the offseason recovering from two surgeries following a fractured right ankle in the divisional playoffs. But Payton also stated there is work to be done “within the framework of each pass play, the definement of a three-[step drop], three no hitch, one big [step], five and a hitch, some of those specifics that put him exactly in time with the depth of the route.”
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Tucked into Payton’s description is the question of the pace at which Nix drops back from center or sets his feet from the shotgun to position himself to throw so it matches the cadence of his receivers’ routes. The Broncos want Nix to continue to think fast, but their emphasis is getting his feet right and better timed with his progressions through his receivers’ routes.
“I think it’s [about] understanding what we’re doing, so we can attack defenses,” Nix stated.
Despite the successful 2025 season, the Broncos found they didn’t consistently challenge defenses down the field. And when they did, Nix wavered in accuracy more significantly than most of the league’s top passers.
Nix was 28th in the league in yards per attempt last season (6.4). He finished 26th in the league in completion percentage over expectation (minus-2.1 percentage points), per NFL Next Gen Stats, and was 12th in completions of 20 or more yards. Nix completed only 44.1% of his pass attempts of 10 or more air yards, along with 36.1% of attempts of 20 or more air yards.
Some of those troublesome numbers stem from Nix being one of the NFL’s quicker thinkers, which helped Denver get 12 comeback victories a year ago. But they also represent a quarterback who doesn’t always have the correct timing when he sets up to throw, sometimes getting to the top of his designed dropback too quickly and making his progressions a bit too rapid.
“He does a very good job of avoiding [a] sack — the minus play — and because of that he’s very good with his progression.” Payton stated. “He’s not someone who’s slow to progress and slow to process, it’s the other way … but I’d rather deal with that than a slow processor who’s getting sacked.”
Chase Daniel, who spent five seasons as the New Orleans Saints’ backup quarterback when Payton coached there, has studied Nix’s play extensively, occasionally attending Broncos quarterback meetings over Nix’s first two seasons. He sees what Payton described and stated it will require Nix to realize that not all dropbacks are created equal in Payton’s playbook.
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“Sean’s offense is very much timing and rhythm,” stated Daniel, who now works with ESPN as an analyst. “So, there could be three different five-step drops, for example — a slow-rhythmic one, a normal one and a really quick one. And [Nix], from what I saw, he hadn’t mastered that in terms of timing with the play because there’s different routes.
“At times, Bo sped up his feet so he’s already at the top of his drop and no receiver is out of his break, so … he started to get to the checkdown too quick.
“I don’t think that’s not him seeing it, I think it’s the footwork didn’t match up with the routes,” he added.
In those situations, Nix is faced with either trying to squeeze a pass to a receiver who hasn’t arrived at the point in the route where the play was designed or just moving to the next progression. And a quarterback who has been drilled not to put the ball in harm’s way — like Nix — will likely go to the next read.
This causes a chain effect in which Nix gets to each progression prematurely, forcing him to arrive at his checkdown options or move out of the pocket before it’s necessary. As a result, 395 of Nix’s league-leading 612 attempts (64.5%) were within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage, with 121 (19.7%) thrown behind the line. Compare that with MVP Matthew Stafford, who threw 59 of his 597 attempts behind the line of scrimmage last season.
Payton believes that Nix’s footwork mechanics are sound and that he has the necessary decision-making ability. Nix’s next step is to find the pacing and rhythm of each play yet still know when to use his mobility.
It was part of an extensive offseason review of Nix and the offense by the coaching staff. And Webb stated Nix has shown progress in training camp.
“It’s noticeable the strides he’s taken, hanging on [the first read], getting to two, to three, then using his legs,” Webb stated.
Webb has also stated the Broncos have to be cognizant of how they “marry” Nix’s first reads to the second and third reads, and to how Webb is sequencing playcalls.
Payton has been steadfast that Nix has the arm strength to punish defenses down the field if everything else is right. The arrival of wide receiver Jaylen Waddle — who Nix called an “explosive playmaker” — changes the dynamic, and Courtland Sutton stated he has already seen the effects of the work his QB has put in.
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“He’s in this spot where he’s understanding the game at such a different level,” Sutton stated.
“He’s seen what defenses do, seeing what leverages are getting thrown at him … and [the big plays] are in there, we’ve seen them out here more already, and our defense is hard to get.”
Nix stated he believes it’s all linked to simply understanding the position and the team’s playbook.
“When you have a second-nature thought process and you know the play and you’re not thinking about operation, or emotion or a route concept or a handoff point, you can attack the defense in a little bit more of a strategic way,” Nix stated. “So my eyes are up a little bit more. I just feel comfortable.
“I’m excited about the growth and know that there’s plenty left, but also I feel strongly where I’m at.”
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