Although Sean Payton hasn’t officially named Bo Nix the Denver Broncos‘ starting quarterback, the Oregon product is headed in the QB1 direction.
Nix was generally productive during the preseason, avoiding critical mistakes while progressing between Weeks 1 and 2. If Payton goes with veteran Jarrett Stidham or Zach Wilson over Nix, most of the NFL world will be shocked.
On Tuesday, Payton described the NFL Draft process that led to Nix landing with the Broncos.
Editor’s note: Payton officially named Nix the Broncos’ starting quarterback on Wednesday.
Sean Payton on Why the Denver Broncos Drafted Bo Nix
“When you watch (Nix’s) off-schedule throws in a game, it’s remarkable. It’s noticeable,” Payton said Tuesday on The Athletic’s Scoop City podcast.
“Something happened with him I’ve never seen on film before. It’s a third-down play. The tackles are rushing up the field, and the guard is blocking the 3-technique, and (Nix) slips between the guard, underneath — between the guard and the 3-technique. And he climbs and throws it to a tight end, and I replayed it. I said, ‘I’ve never seen this before.'”
Payton said he knew during Denver’s individual workout with Nix that he wanted to draft the 6’2″, 215-pound passer.
While Nix ranked 31st on Pro Football Network’s Industry Consensus Board, Payton was certain other clubs around the league also held Nix in higher regard.
“I know this: There were a few other teams that saw it the same way,” Payton said.
“The one comment I made to (Broncos GM) George (Paton) after (Nix) finished throwing that day, … We came back, we watched all of Oregon, all of Auburn, went back to Oregon, we stopped the tape, and I said, ‘George, I’m just going to say this: We’re not the only ones seeing it this way.'”
After Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye went off the board at Nos. 1, 2, and 3, respectively, Payton and the Broncos tried to predict how the rest of the quarterback selections would go.
“You try to simulate what you think’s going to happen. We felt the (New York) Giants were going to be an at-large team. Not necessarily for Bo, but for a quarterback. Are they taking one or not? And then they didn’t.
“So pretty soon, there’s three teams with a need: the (Minnesota) Vikings, Broncos, and the (Las Vegas) Raiders. And then Atlanta, out of nowhere, no one saw that. And now, there’s still three teams, two quarterbacks.
“Minnesota’s right ahead of us. The Raiders behind us. Minnesota goes up one, and then they draft J.J. (McCarthy). And now, there’s one, and the (New York) Jets are still on the clock, and I said to George, ‘Call the Jets’ … We don’t want to move up unnecessarily a pick or two, but … I don’t want anything happening like Kansas City. Anybody can come.”
Payton was referencing the 2017 NFL Draft when the Kansas City Chiefs traded in front of his New Orleans Saints to draft Patrick Mahomes, who Payton maintains he wanted to select.
Payton told The Athletic that the Broncos called the Raiders to see if they wanted to trade up as a ploy to get Las Vegas to reveal its quarterback intentions. Antonio Pierce and Co. didn’t want to move up, so Payton felt comfortable Denver could stay put at No. 12 and draft Nix.
Bill Belichick Weighs In on Broncos’ Nix Selection
Should the Broncos start Nix in Week 1? Bill Belichick, in his media role for The Pat McAfee Show, offered his opinion on Denver’s rookie quarterback over the weekend.
“Well, it looks like it,” Belichick said when asked if Nix fit Payton’s offense. “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.”
Belichick cautioned the Broncos against starting Nix and later pulling him for a backup option if he struggles.
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“What you don’t want to do is, you don’t want to put a rookie quarterback in there (before he’s ready),” Belichick said. “For example, 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 (Stidham) 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, you go with him, but you don’t turn back. You stay with him all the way through.”
Whenever Nix starts, he’ll command a dynamic offense with a lot of moving parts.
“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 ball is snapped, 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.”
