Tag: Bo Nix
Broncos’ Sean Payton on blocked FG: ‘They exploited an area’
While still stewing in disappointment one day later, the Denver Broncos are looking at the blocked field-goal attempt that would have finished off a victory over the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs as a chance to make the team better.
Broncos kicker Wil Lutz lined up for a 35-yard field-goal attempt Sunday as time was set to expire, but the attempt was blocked by the Chiefs’ Leo Chenal, who charged right through the middle of the Denver line.
The undefeated Chiefs escaped with a 16-14 victory, leaving the Broncos at a crossroad with a 5-5 record.
“They exploited an area that we obviously felt was fixed and stronger, but not fixed enough,” Payton said Monday. “I read all the comments afterwards, and I think that it’s tough to lose a game that way. This isn’t on the player. This is on all of us. This is on us as coaches.
“We’ve got to continue to look at, ‘Hey, are we big enough stature-wise there for that?’ And understanding how the rush was coming. It’s disappointing.”
Payton clarified the area that was exploited.
“They felt like they had an indication relative to how (center Alex Forsyth’s) weight was balanced,” Payton said. “All of that is game planning, scouting and then it’s us coaching and looking at the self-scout. Again, it’s nothing new.”
The Broncos are merely third in the AFC West, but with the conference’s muddled postseason picture, Denver is currently in possession of the seventh and final playoff spot. The Broncos are listed with a 51 percent playoff probability.
And while Sunday ended in a heartbreaking defeat, the Broncos can also look at it as a near miss, on the road against an undefeated team that also won the last two Super Bowls.
“The sky is not falling,” Payton said. “There’s a lot ahead obviously.”
Of the seven games still on the schedule, the Broncos face four teams currently out of the AFC’s playoff picture. But they have still have to face the 6-4 Atlanta Falcons on Sunday and finish the regular season with a rematch against the Chiefs. The advantage for Denver is that both of those games are at home.
“I like the leadership on this team. It’s an entirely different team than a year ago,” Payton said. “It’s (a) tough (team) mentally and physically. … Listen, when you talk to the players about that (loss), you tell them, ‘Hey, that’s going to happen periodically in your career.’
“You hope that you have a few of those games that maybe you thought that you didn’t deserve to win that you did win. You have to bounce back either way.”
That optimism is further fueled by the play of rookie quarterback Bo Nix, who has completed 63.6 percent of his passes for 1,968 yards and 10 touchdowns with six interceptions. He also has 290 yards rushing with four more TDs.
“Offensively, we played that team better than we have in the past with what they do,” Payton said. “We had some scoring opportunities certainly at the end of the (first) half that we didn’t take a good enough advantage of.”
–Field Level Media
Broncos Saints Pick, TNF OVER, Payton Brees Feted
QB Bo Nix named first Broncos rookie captain since 1967
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix was one of six players named a team captain Wednesday, becoming the first Denver rookie to earn the honor since Hall of Famer Floyd Little in 1967.
The Broncos players voted for the team captains, and coach Sean Payton said Nix getting the nod speaks volumes.
“That’s not something that happens that often,” Payton said. “I think it’s something you earn. These guys — all of them voted on these guys. It’s probably as clean a result as I’d seen in a while relative to those players that were all selected. It’s unusual for a rookie to get made captain, and yet by nature that position to some degree is leading. That was something that organically takes place throughout the spring and training camp and goes from there.”
Nix, who will become the first rookie quarterback to start a Broncos season opener since Hall of Famer John Elway in 1983, was officially named a starter days before the team’s preseason finale against the Arizona Cardinals.
Payton said a rookie getting chosen as a captain has never happened on the teams he’s coached.
“It’s a first for me,” Payton said. “Just say rookie, period, in fairness to the process. I think it is what it is. I think it’s a credit to him, and I think his teammates felt that he belonged in that position.”
Wide receiver Courtland Sutton, guard Quinn Meinerz, cornerback Pat Surtain II, linebacker Alex Singleton and kicker Wil Lutz were also named Broncos captains.
Denver selected Nix, 24, with the 12th pick in this year’s NFL Draft out of Oregon. He completed 23 of 30 attempts for 205 yards and two touchdowns in two preseason games.
The Broncos open the season on the road against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
–Field Level Media
Broncos ‘trust instincts,” name rookie Bo Nix starting quarterback
The Denver Broncos named rookie Bo Nix as their starting quarterback on Wednesday.
The first-round draft pick will become the first rookie signal-caller to start a season opener for Denver since Hall of Famer John Elway in 1983.
Head coach Sean Payton met with Nix and Jarrett Stidham on Wednesday morning before announcing his decision in a team meeting. Zach Wilson is also on the roster, acquired from the New York Jets in an April trade.
“The larger body of work,” Payton said of what pushed Nix over the competition. “There’s certain things right now with Stiddy’s experience that you see. I would say a lot of the off-schedule movement throws. I think he’s been consistent. It’s not really a reflection on Jarrett or even Zach. It’s some of the things that he’s been able to do pretty quickly. His arm strength down the field — all the things when we evaluated him. You kind of trust your instincts.”
Payton said he was on the same page with owner Greg Penner and general manager George Paton that the organization would allow the process to play out and “not rush into anything.”
In two preseason games, Nix completed 23 of 30 passes for 205 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. The Broncos scored on six of his seven drives against the Indianapolis Colts and Green Bay Packers.
Denver opens the regular season on the road against the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 8. The Broncos have not been to the playoffs since winning Super Bowl 50 with Peyton Manning under center on Feb. 7, 2016.
“It will be a special moment,” Nix said of the Week 1 start.
“Obviously, that’s great to share with such a great player like John Elway, but definitely want to (go) out there and (do) whatever I can do ultimately for the team. It doesn’t matter when your first start is. It doesn’t matter if you have to wait or you go right now. You just want to go out there and get the first win and ultimately compete at a high level and give your team the best chance possible. That’s what my goal is at the beginning, just to give our team the best chance to go out there and win games every week.”
Last season, Denver finished 8-9. Russell Wilson, now with the Pittsburgh Steelers, was 7-8 and Stidham was 1-1.
Nix, 24, was the 12th overall pick in the 2024 draft out of Oregon. No. 1 pick Caleb Williams and No. 2 Jayden Daniels have also been named the starters by the Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders, respectively.
Nix is also the first rookie quarterback to open a season for Payton, who is entering his second season in Denver after 15 seasons with the New Orleans Saints (2006-11, 2013-21).
–Field Level Media
Broncos first-round QB Bo Nix signs rookie contract
Denver Broncos first-round draft pick Bo Nix signed his four-year rookie contract.
The team announced the signing but not the terms for the quarterback, who was selected with the 12th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. Multiple reports said the fully guaranteed deal is worth $18.6 million with a signing bonus of $10.36 million and includes the standard team option for a fifth season.
“I don’t want to just be a draft pick,” Nix said. “I want to be able to show my improvements and show that I can do what (they) picked me to do, and that’s to go out there and help win games (and) do whatever I can to put his team in a better situation.”
Nix, 24, completed 77.4 percent of his passes and threw for 4,508 yards and 45 touchdowns while getting picked off just three times for Oregon last season. He was named the 2023 Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year.
Nix will compete with Zach Wilson and Jarrett Stidham for the starting role in Denver.
–Field Level Media
Reports: Broncos won’t pick up QB Zach Wilson’s option
Zach Wilson might have just a one-year stay in Denver, as multiple media outlets reported Tuesday that the Broncos won’t pick up his fifth-year option for 2025.
The Broncos acquired Wilson and a seventh-round draft pick last week from the New York Jets in exchange for a sixth-round choice. Each team will pay a portion of his 2024 salary, which has a base of just over $1 million.
Denver then selected Bo Nix 12th overall in the draft on Friday.
Wilson’s option for 2025 would have been worth $22.4 million.
Broncos coach Sean Payton said that Wilson and Nix would compete for the starting role along with Jarrett Stidham, who went 1-1 as a starter for Denver last year, and Ben DiNucci.
The Broncos announced in March that they would release their regular starting quarterback from the past two years, Russell Wilson, with a post-June 1 designation. Russell Wilson went 11-19 as a starter over his two years in Denver, proving to be a big disappointment after he arrived in a March 2022 trade with the Seattle Seahawks.
Zach Wilson, 24, was chosen second overall by the Jets in the 2021 draft out of BYU. He produced a 12-21 record as New York’s starter, completing 57 percent of his passes for 6,293 yards with 23 touchdown tosses and 25 interceptions.
Last season, he went 4-7 with a career-high 60.1 percent completion rate, 2,271 yards, eight TDs and seven interceptions.
Nix, 24, threw for 4,508 yards and 45 touchdowns while getting picked off just three times for Oregon last season.
–Field Level Media
NFL draft: Broncos trade up in fourth round, pick Oregon WR Troy Franklin
The Denver Broncos made a splash on Saturday by trading up to select Oregon wide receiver Troy Franklin in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Selected with the 102nd overall pick, Franklin will see a familiar face in the Broncos’ first-round selection: his Oregon quarterback, Bo Nix.
“It is very great to be back with my guy who I played with in college,” Franklin said of Nix, who was taken by Denver with the 12th overall pick of the draft on Thursday.
The Broncos acquired the pick from the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for the 121st, 136th and 207th overall selections. Denver also received the 235th pick as part of the deal.
“Man, (I’m) just feeling the joy,” Franklin said of his initial reaction to being selected by the Broncos. “I’m relaxed now. Just wanted to get my name called. Just a blessed feeling. Great to be selected. I don’t even know what to say right now. It’s just a dream come true. So glad somebody gave me a chance. The Broncos gave me a chance to go out there, showcase my talent, do whatever I need to do to help the team.”
Franklin recorded Oregon single-season records in receiving yards (1,383), receiving touchdowns (14) and 100-yard receiving games (eight) to go along with his 81 catches in 2023. He also had 4.41 time in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Franklin was the first of five Oregon players to be drafted in the fourth round. The Minnesota Vikings chose cornerback Khyree Jackson at No. 108, the Atlanta Falcons selected defensive tackle Brandon Dorius with the next pick, the Green Bay Packers took safety Evan Williams at No. 111 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected running back Bucky Irving at No. 125.
Nix, ironically, was the last quarterback taken in the draft through the completion of the fourth round. South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler was taken by the New Orleans Saints with the No. 150 pick in the fifth round.
Also in the fourth round, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer took to the draft stage to reveal the Detroit Lions’ selection with the No. 126 pick. She used the chance to announce that Detroit had broken the record for draft attendance, set in 2019 in Nashville, Tenn., when 600,000 people attended.
“We have shown the world what the Motor City is all about,” Whitmer said. “700,000 and counting.”
For the record, the Lions selected 6-foot-8, 350-pound offensive tackle Giovanni Manu of British Columbia.
–Field Level Media
LSU QB Jayden Daniels wins Heisman Trophy
LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels won the Heisman Trophy as the nation’s most outstanding college football player on Saturday night in New York.
Daniels beat out three other finalists, including Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr., Oregon quarterback Bo Nix and Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.
It was the latest in a growing list of honors for Daniels. He was selected as the Walter Camp national player of the year and he won the Davey O’Brien Award, which is given annually to the nation’s top quarterback.
In 12 games this season, Daniels completed 72.2 percent of his passes for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also rushed for 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging 8.4 yards per carry.
Daniels became the third player in LSU history to win the Heisman Trophy. He joined halfback Billy Cannon, who won the award in 1959, and quarterback Joe Burrow, who won in 2019.
LSU head coach Brian Kelly was in attendance to see his quarterback win the trophy. Daniels is in his second season with the Tigers after transferring from Arizona State, where he played his first three years.
Several former Heisman Trophy winners including Robert Griffin Jr., Tim Tebow and Desmond Howard also participated in the ceremony. Twenty-two previous winners took the stage before Daniels was announced as the latest honoree.
Including Daniels, seven of the past eight Heisman Trophy winners have played quarterback. The lone exception during that span is DeVonta Smith, who won the trophy as an Alabama wideout in 2020.
–Field Level Media
QB Bo Nix announces his return to Oregon next season
Saying “there’s nothing like being an Oregon Duck,” quarterback Bo Nix said in a video that he is returning to the school for a final season.
The school released the video, titled “Bo Is Back,” on Sunday night.
In his first season at Oregon after three at Auburn, Nix, a senior, threw for 3,389 yards and 27 touchdowns, both career highs, with six interceptions. He completed 71.5 percent of his passes, also his best. He also set personal highs by rushing for 504 yards and 14 touchdowns.
The Ducks, 9-3 and No. 15 in the College Football Playoff poll, will take on North Carolina in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego on Dec. 28. The Tar Heels are 9-4.
Nix’s arrival in Eugene, Ore., reunited him with his former quarterbacks coach, Kenny Dillingham, who was the Ducks’ offensive coordinator. Last month, Dillingham accepted the head coaching job at Arizona State.
“There’s nothing like a Saturday in Autzen Stadium, in front of the best fans in college football. … There’s nothing like being an Oregon Duck. For 2023, I’m back,” Nix said in the video.
–Field Level Media