After two seasons of Russell Wilson under center, the Denver Broncos opted to make a change at quarterback. Denver released Wilson two years into his five-year deal and immediately started searching for potential replacements. Former second-overall pick Zach Wilson became the first of two quarterbacks to join the Broncos this offseason, being sent to Denver in exchange for a sixth-rounder. Bo Nix, Denver’s 12th-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, was the second of the two.
Following two preseason performances of Wilson and Nix, in addition to second-year Bronco Jarrett Stidham, head coach Sean Payton was ready to name Denver’s next starting quarterback.
Rookie signal caller Bo Nix was his choice.
Nix earned the starting job through his excellent play in Weeks 1 and 2 of the preseason. The 24-year-old has completed 76.7% of his 30 pass attempts for 211 yards, notching two touchdowns with a goose egg in the interceptions column. His 78.4 grade through the preseason via Pro Football Focus ranks first on the team, by a wide margin, and 11th league-wide.
This success is no surprise to Payton. After selecting Nix in the draft, Payton went on to claim he feels as strongly about Nix as he did Mahomes, the latter who he intended to draft back in 2017.
Those are some big shoes for Nix to fill. Before he can be compared to Mahomes, however, Nix must first lead the Broncos to a win over the Las Vegas Raiders; a task that may seem easy enough, but hasn’t been achieved since 2019.
Can Bo Nix lead the Denver Broncos to their first win against the Las Vegas Raiders?
Since relocating to Sin City, the Raiders have yet to drop a game to the Broncos. Las Vegas is 8-0 in the meantime with wins under Aidan O’Connell, Jimmy Garoppolo and Derek Carr.
Sean Payton is hoping his rookie changes that.
It won’t be easy, though. While the Raiders have improved their roster by adding Christian Wilkins in free agency and drafting do-it-all rookie tight end Brock Bowers, the Broncos have had to make several sacrifices in order to part ways with Russell Wilson.
These sacrifices include letting both standout center Lloyd Cushenberry and Josey Jewell, the team’s highest-graded linebacker last season, leave through free agency. More notably, Denver released their four-time All-Pro safety Justin Simmons.
The Broncos haven’t made moves to build on their 8-9 record in 2023, but perhaps Payton is more focused on a better tomorrow than winning today. Nix potentially beating the Raiders may be a topic for next season once Denver has had a year to build around their rookie signal caller.
Or perhaps Nix can lead Denver to an upset in 2024. Last season, the Broncos shocked the NFL world by taking down Kansas City with a 24-9 score in Week 8. Will Sean Payton be able to catch the Raiders by surprise like he did the Chiefs?
*Top Photo: AP Photo/Jack Dempsey