Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix struggled early in his rookie season before exploding down the stretch and finishing the regular season as a Pro Bowl alternate.
Nix threw for 3,775 yards and 29 touchdowns in his first season while adding 430 yards and four scores on the ground (and he also caught a touchdown pass to boot). Now that he’s going into Year 2, though, Nix will be facing defenses that have an entire year of film to study his strengths — and weaknesses.
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“The defenses — I always enjoy this part of it,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said in May. “Now that they’ve had a season — in Week 4, there were four games [on tape]. [In] Week 8, there were eight games [on tape]. So, you see different looks based on who you play from an opponent standpoint.
“One of his traits that I think serves him well is his feet. He can move. It’s not always a clean pocket. I think when it gets a little muddy, he makes good decisions. He doesn’t hold onto the ball. His sack numbers were really good in college [and] they were really good last year. We anticipate that to be the same. So again, each week within the framework of our gameplan, we’ll understand what we’re trying to do against the defense we play.”
Payton seemed to hint that no matter how prepared defenses are to face Nix, game planning won’t help them when Nix improvises and uses his legs to extend players. Nix was also excellent at avoiding sacks last season, so bringing extra pressure isn’t necessarily a recipe for success.
So, yes, defenses now have more film on Nix, but his coach seems confident about the QB’s 2025 outlook.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: NFL: Sean Payton reacts to defenses having a year of film on Bo Nix