Denver Broncos’ Bold QB Gamble: Is Bo Nix the Game-Changer They’ve Been Waiting For?

AdvertisementPayton talked about how he wanted Nix so badly in the 2024 NFL Draft that he would be upset when someone would pair the Broncos and Nix in mock drafts beforehand. Payton joked (or maybe he was serious) about planning to be at Nix’s house on draft day to tell him the Broncos had picked him. And after that moment on the sideline, not long after Surtain saved Denver on defense, Nix and the Broncos took off. Payton honed in on Nix as his quarterback, and he paid off big as a rookie.Sean Payton teams always spend big in the offseason without much regard for the future, and the Broncos added three potential impact players in free agency. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga came over from the 49ers, and tight end Evan Engram was added from the Jaguars. Everyone seemed to love the Broncos’ haul, which ignores significant injury concerns for all three players, but if they’re all healthy they should fit very well in Denver. The Broncos didn’t go offense in the first round as many expected, but got good value in cornerback Jahdae Barron at No. 20 overall. That gives the Broncos perhaps the best trio of cornerbacks in the NFL. Then Denver did attack offense with running back R.J. Harvey in the second round and receiver Pat Bryant in the third. After the draft he Broncos added running back J.K. Dobbins, who had 905 yards and nine touchdowns with the Chargers last season but has a long injury history. That seemed odd after investing an early pick in Harvey, but Payton typically uses multiple running backs. There are a lot of injury concerns with the additions, but the upside is clear.Advertisement

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Yahoo’s fantasy take

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The crystal ball says

Success rate and EPA (expected points added) are two telling advanced stats. And the Broncos defense was elite in every category of those stats last season: first in EPA allowed, second in success rate allowed, first in EPA allowed per pass, third in success rate allowed per pass, fourth in EPA allowed per run and sixth in success rate allowed per run. The Broncos were great in traditional stats too: third in points allowed, seventh in yards allowed, tied for fifth in yards per pass allowed, second in yards per rush allowed and sixth in passer rating allowed. The Broncos defense was fantastic in every way last season, led by Patrick Surtain II. Pro Football Focus had Surtain allowing only 40 receptions for 396 yards in coverage all season. He was a deserving Defensive Player of the Year winner. Denver also got at least seven sacks from Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, Zach Allen (who had an under-the-radar great season) and John Franklin-Myers, and all of them return.