Bo Nix isn’t helping himself after Broncos rough start

The Denver Broncos are in a familiar spot — 0-2 with severe concerns about their quarterback play.

Sean Payton benched and cut Russell Wilson, eating $85 million in dead money so that Denver could select Bo Nix with the 12th pick in April's NFL Draft. Nix was the sixth QB off the board in the first round, tying the all-time record. At the time, there was a healthy skepticism of Nix as such a high first-round pick, but Denver steadfastly believed in the 24-year-old throughout training camp and the preseason.

With Payton as the conductor of the hype train, Nix made his case during the preseason and eventually won the Broncos' starting job over veterans Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson. It made sense, as Denver ought to see what Nix is capable of. He was drafted as a franchise cornerstone and he's also the most experienced QB prospect in recent memory, having started five seasons between two Power Five schools in Auburn and Oregon. If any rookie QB should be burdened with immediate expectations, it is Nix.

That is why the early returns on Nix are so underwhelming. The rookie has not thrived out of the gate, which was entirely predictable. For all his production at Oregon, Nix was never relied on much for advanced throws or high-pressure execution. He was surrounded by an elite WR corps in a dink-and-dunk offense, a complete product of scheme. Generally, products of scheme falter at the NFL level. At the very least, Nix will need more time to adjust and overcome adversity than the average Broncos fan thought.

Nix's Week 2 performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers was proof enough that Nix is not "NFL ready," as he was often labeled pre-draft. He completed 20 of 35 passes for 246 yards with two interceptions. The rookie now has four interceptions and zero passing touchdowns through two weeks, having completed 59.7 percent of his passes (compared to 77.4 percent as a senior at Oregon).

One of Nix's two interceptions was a rather egregious lob into traffic at the back of the end zone.

Nix's response to a question about this turnover after the game was less than ideal.

Bo Nix refuses to explain costly end zone INT after Broncos loss

Nix was asked to take the media through the interception. Rather than explaining the breakdown in his decision-making or vowing to improve, Nix answered with snark.

"I dropped back, threw it to the other team."

We are generally too harsh on athletes who are frustrated after bad performances — we can hardly blame Nix for getting a little testy when he's probably deeply upset internally — but the optics here are bad, and it certainly won't help Nix make his case to Denver fans (or coaches, for that matter). Poise is an inherent quality to the NFL's best quarterbacks. You can't get too high or too low. Nix may be too low right now.

It's only two games, so we can hardly write the obituary on Nix's career, but all the pre-draft concerns have manifested exactly how experts predicted they would. The size and speed of NFL defense has made Nix far more mistake-prone. He doesn't have put enough zip on his throws and, so far, he appears far too reliant on his legs. Nix is improvising like an animal caught in a trap, scrambling at the first sign of trouble rather than standing tall in the pocket and delivering throws from an optimal angle.

There is time aplenty for Nix to right the ship, but Denver fans are undoubtedly starting to rethink the preseason hype machine.