Former Oregon Duck quarterback Bo Nix is off to a hot start to his NFL rookie campaign. In his first two preseason games, Nix has stood out as a great option for the Denver Broncos as starting quarterback.
Nix is catching the attention of legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick. Belichick, who has won six Super Bowls and is now a football analyst, joined the Pat McAfee Show to discuss the duo of Nix and Denver coach Sean Payton.
McAfee asked: are Nix and Payton the perfect fit?
"Well, it looks like it," Belichick said. "Sean's a great quarterback coach, and he'll have those guys ready to play, and he'll tailor the offense around where the quarterback is...
In his two preseason games, Nix has pushed the ball downfield and looked comfortable in the pocket. Last Sunday in a 27-2 victory over the Green Bay Packers, the former Duck completed 8 of 9 passes for 80 yards and a touchdown.
Nix's experience is coming in handy in a complicated offense. The most experienced quarterback from the 2024 draft, Nix's 61 career starts broke the NCAA record for most all-time by a FBS quarterback.
"Sean's offense is a very fast offense," Belichick said. "They don't go no huddle, but they substitute fast. They call the play. They get up the line of scrimmage. And once the snap everything's moving fast as fast as anybody in the league so there's a lot of mental processing and decision making that has to take place in a hurry."
Payton has yet to name a starting quarterback, as the competition rolls on between Nix and veteran Jarrett Stidham.
"I think you go with him when you feel like he's ready to go," Belichick said. "What I don't think you want to do is put Bo in there, and then after three or four games, find out you need to take him out and put Spitt back in there and go that way. I don't think that would work. I think that just creates a lot of confusion, and I really don't think that's what you want to do."
"If you're sure Bo Nix is the guy, then you go with him, but you don't turn back."
Nix and the Broncos have one final preseason game on Sunday vs. the Arizona Cardinals at 1:30 p.m. PT. Nix's preseason stats are impressive. He has thrown 23-for-30 on 205 passing yards and two touchdowns. Nix has also ran for 29 yards and holds a passer rating of 121.5. The Broncos have scored points on six of seven possessions with the former Duck under center this preseason.
"(Nix) has delivered the ball well," Belichick said. "He's got it out on time. He sees the field well. He's done a good job of taking care of the ball. He's done a good job in the expenditure plays and making good decisions with the ball in his hands under some pressure. But, again, it's against very vanilla defenses (in preseason)."
Nix, Denver's No. 12-overall selection in the2024 NFL Draft is fresh off his best season yet. The 23-year-old broke the NCAA single-season record for completion percentage in 2023 at 77.45, completing a whopping 364 of 470 passes.
"That Oregon offense (last year) - whenever Bo was running it, it was like (snaps fingers) humming - like a tribute to him," McAfee said.
Bo Nix's Biggest Fan
Bo Nix’s biggest fan has been loving every moment of his dominant preseason with the Broncos.
In a post shared Sunday on her Instagram Story, Izzy can be seen posing at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium in Denver with Nicolette Dellanno, who revealed her engagement to fellow Broncos quarterback Zach Wilson earlier this summer.
In his first preseason showing on Aug. 11, Nix helped the Broncos score on four of the five possessions he played.
Although the 24-year-old Nix “felt really good” after Sunday’s game against the Packers, it’s “not for me to decide” where he’ll land on the depth chart.
“Especially tonight, I came out here and was very comfortable with the first few plays that were called,” Nix said, according to Pro Football Talk. “They were kind of keeping it within my comfort level, and that’s huge, especially for someone who’s trying to get in there and execute. You want to run plays that you feel comfortable with, and that’s what coach Payton was calling tonight.
In addition to Nix, veteran Jarrett Stidham and Wilson are the other quarterbacks on the Broncos’ roster.
Stidham started the final two games of the season last year amid Denver’s $85 million divorce from Russell Wilson.
As for the other Wilson, a former first-round pick in 2021, he landed with the Broncos in April after three rocky seasons with the Jets.
The 25-year-old quarterback completed 2 of 6 passes for 29 yards. He was also sacked twice, one of which resulted in a safety.
The Broncos will close out the preseason against the Cardinals on Sunday.
Is Bo Nix the Broncos’ QB1?
All that’s left is the official announcement.
Sean Payton on Bo Nix: "He's played well. I’m not announcing any starting quarterback tonight. I’ll let you know when the time comes. I thought he played well."
Honestly, Sean, you don’t need to name a starting quarterback. For the first time in franchise history, a drafted quarterback for the Broncos has made the definitive case for himself to start week 1 with his play on the field.
It’s impossible to deny that Bo Nix has looked amazing in his first two preseason starts. His 23 completions on 30 attempts for 205-yards, 2 touchdowns, 76.7 completion percentage, and eye-popping 116.7 QB rating are carrying the young QB into the starting position for week 1.
Coach Sean Payton can hem and haw all he wants about making it official, Broncos Country has seen enough to know that Nix is the real deal. His poise, control, and confidence say all that needs to be said.
It’s no longer a question of if Nix will be named starter, but rather when.
It’s a great time to be a citizen of Broncos Country.
