Whether Denver makes a move before the deadline or stands pat, the Broncos are going to need Bo Nix to keep trending up when the games get tight.
That was already the story in 2025, when Nix was dealing out the best football of his life before a broken ankle in the AFC Divisional Round brought the season to a halt. Up to that point, Denver looked like it was charging toward the Super Bowl, and Nix was a huge reason why.
The clearest sign of that growth showed up in the split between his numbers before and after the bye. Through 11 games before the Week 12 break, Nix completed 61.2 percent of his passes, piled up 2,634 total yards, threw 21 total touchdowns and 8 interceptions, and posted an 86.1 passer rating. He also added 122.3 rushing yards per game, a number that helped keep the offense balanced.
After the bye, though, the quarterback took another step. In seven games that included the playoffs, Nix finished with a higher completion percentage, more yards per game, and a better passer rating than he had in the first half of the season.
That jump mattered even more because Denver’s ground game slipped. J.K.
Dobbins went down against the Las Vegas Raiders, right after last year’s trade deadline, and the Broncos had to lean harder on Nix. In the divisional round against Buffalo, that reality was on full display: Denver ran for only 70 yards, and 29 of them came from Nix.
The numbers don’t scream a massive leap, but the tape and the production point to a quarterback who looked sharper, more decisive, and more locked in after the bye. He was carrying more of the load, and he handled it well.
Now the Broncos get another chance to see that version of Nix. They have eight regular season games after their Week 10 bye this year, and the signs are already pointing in the same direction. Over the last three games, Denver has averaged 28 points per game on offense, and Nix has looked noticeably more efficient than he did early in the season.
That also opens the door to a bigger question: how Denver fixes the run game for this stretch and, ideally, into the playoffs.
The pattern is hard to ignore. Nix seems to find another gear as the season wears on. He did it in 2025, and with the Broncos in a similar spot this year, there’s a chance the league is about to see that storm again.
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Henley brings the kind of versatility Denver has been chasing, with a skill set that fits the modern demands on the position and gives the defense more flexibility on third downs and beyond. The move also comes with a longer view attached, since the Broncos gave up future draft capital to make it happen, leaving the next question centered on how quickly Henley can settle in and whether this finally becomes the fix that sticks. [Read more 🡒]