Bo Nix is no longer just the Broncos’ promising young quarterback. In Denver, he has become the hinge everything swings on.
That’s the reality after two seasons that have pushed the Broncos from a five-win team three years ago to hosting the AFC championship game in Nix’s second year. Denver has won 24 regular-season games with Nix, taken back the division from the Kansas City Chiefs, and earned the AFC’s No. 1 playoff seed. The organization has spent the last three offseasons building around him, and the payoff has been obvious.
The Broncos, though, learned in brutal fashion how much they depend on him. Nix’s ankle injury in the divisional round last January knocked him out of the AFC title game, and Denver had to go on without him. Sean Payton handled the aftermath by turning to Jarrett Stidham and saying the right things, but the loss of Nix changed everything.
Ben Neill, Nix’s private throwing coach at QB Country in Birmingham, Alabama, sees a quarterback who fully understands what he means to the franchise. “He’s very aware of the stakes, and the sacrifice, and the responsibility that comes with all the things they’re doing,” Neill told Luca Evans of The Denver Post earlier this month.
“And I would say not only is he aware of it, but he’s built for it. Like, he’s frickin’ built for it.
And he knows he is. He’s built to be a franchise quarterback, and he doesn’t take that lightly.”
That seriousness has shown up in how Nix has handled his rehab. After months of work this offseason, he went back under the knife in June for a clean-up procedure to deal with painful bone spurs that formed during the healing process.
It pushed back his return a bit, but not dramatically. He missed the Broncos’ voluntary OTA practices, though he did take part in walkthroughs the media didn’t see.
By mandatory minicamp, he was back on the field for individual work on Day 1 and did some 7-on-7 work on Day 2. The Broncos said in mid-June that Nix being a full go by training camp was still on schedule.
There is still obvious concern around the right ankle, especially since it has been fractured three times. That matters even more because mobility is such a big part of what makes Nix dangerous. But Neill said he doesn’t expect the injury to linger into the season.
“I honestly think he trusts it,” Neill told The Post. “He trusts his body.
He trusts the work that he’s done. And I don’t see it affecting him really at all, to be honest with you.”
The Broncos are likely to be careful with him at the start of camp, probably managing his reps. The key, though, is simple: get him as many first-team snaps as possible. Payton has said the starters will play in the preseason again, but whether Nix is included remains to be seen.
What’s clear is that Denver’s ceiling rises and falls with its quarterback. The roster is loaded, the receiving corps has been upgraded with the speedster Jaylen Waddle, and the coaching staff has experience. But without Nix, none of it holds together.
With him, the Broncos look like real Super Bowl contenders.
Training camp begins this week at Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit, with veterans reporting Tuesday, July 28. And if Neill is right, Nix is already where he needs to be.
In Other News...
Broncos Could Lose A Special Teams Weapon They Can't Easily Replace
Denvers special teams remain one of the cleaner parts of the roster, but the return game still leaves the Broncos with a puzzle they have not fully solved. Wil Lutz backed up his value with a strong season and a new extension, while rookie punter Jeremy Crawshaw flashed early before settling in more unevenly later on, leaving the unit solid overall but not quite finished.
Marvin Mims Jr. is the name that keeps the conversation interesting. He was electric on punt returns, yet the new kickoff format exposed a different side of his game, and that split matters for a team that wants more stability in field position. The Broncos have plenty to weigh as camp approaches, because if they decide Mims is not part of the long-term plan, replacing that kind of return ability is not a simple fix. [Read more 🡒]
Nathaniel Hackett Had Another Awkward Cardinals Camp Moment
Nathaniel Hackett is back in the spotlight again, this time as the Cardinals offensive coordinator during training camp and not for anything that would calm old nerves in Denver. The former Broncos coach, who later had stops with the Jets and Packers, was talking through Arizonas running back room when he singled out veteran James Conner as someone hes excited to see get on the field and show what he has.
The comment that really lingered, though, came when Hackett shifted to rookie Jeremiyah Love and described him as definitely a rookie. That lands a little differently in Arizona because Love was taken third overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, a major investment in a player the Cardinals clearly expect to matter right away, even if camp is already reminding everyone that the learning curve can be real. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Fans Are Suddenly Watching Caleb Lohner Much More Closely
Caleb Lohner has become one of the more intriguing names in Broncos camp, mostly because the second-year tight end is no longer just the former basketball player trying to learn the position. Sean Payton has pointed to real development from Lohner since his rookie season, and after spending last year on the practice squad, he is finally getting the kind of look that can turn a developmental project into an actual roster conversation.
Lohner also enters training camp with a little catching up to do after missing part of the offseason while recovering from a procedure, but he is expected to be back in the mix when the competition heats up. The Broncos have some stability at tight end already, which makes the battle for the remaining spots a tricky one, but it also gives a player like Lohner a clear path if the progress Payton has seen carries over once the pads come on. [Read more 🡒]