Broncos put way too much pressure on Bo Nix from the jump, and it could haunt them

This summer has been one long, unmitigated success for Bo Nix. On the heels of a dominant senior campaign at Oregon, the 24-year-old became the 12th overall pick in the NFL Draft. He was essentially brought in to replace Russell Wilson on the Denver Broncos, the rare rookie QB to earn the full stamp of approval from Sean Payton.

Nix was not named QB1 out of the gate — he spent most of training camp and preseason in an open competition with vets Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson — but, when push came to shove, Denver made the obvious choice. Nix is the future and the present, and he will start under center for the Broncos in Week 1.

The hype train is full speed ahead at this point. There has been nothing but positivity emanating from Broncos camp whenever Nix is brought up. From a strong impression on Sean Payton in his pre-draft interview, all the way through being named the starting quarterback, Nix has earned rave reviews from Broncos coaches and media alike.

Frankly, we should probably pump the breaks a bit. It's good for Denver fans to have a source of hope — these last couple years have been fairly grim — but we have to remember the context of Nix's arrival in Denver.

He was the 12th pick in the draft and the sixth quarterback off the board. Nix put up absurd numbers at Oregon, but he was in college football's most QB-friendly system, designed around screen passes and simple reads. Nix does not have elite arm talent and he's 24, with five years of college starting experience under his belt. That means there is more pressure on him to perform immediately than his rookie QB peers.

That's why the latest development in Denver should give Broncos fans pause. Are we putting too much on Nix's plate?

Bo Nix is now a rookie captain for the Broncos... is it all too much?

The Broncos officially made Bo Nix on of their six captains this week. It isn't unheard of for rookies to captain a team, especially at the QB position, but it's a rare distinction. It's a testament to Nix's rapid development and the faith he has cultivated with his teammates.

"He's very mature, he's had a lot of games to put under his belt from college,'' Broncos WR Courtland Sutton told ESPN. "I think he's going to continue to put the work in. ... He comes to work every day with the demeanor of getting better... He's got the C on his chest, he carries himself like that, he carries himself like a leader."

It's a great accomplishment for Nix, but it's also another burden on his shoulders. There seems to be a lot of optimism that Nix can overcome his shortcomings and forge an immediate impact on a team that struggled to consistently sustain drives last season. For all his many shortcomings, Russell Wilson still threw 26 touchdowns for the Broncos in 2023. He was productive on the surface, but Denver's lackluster O-line and poor playmaking corps were a constant hurdle.

Again, we are talking about QB6 in the draft. How often does QB6 start and succeed at the highest level out of the gate. Nix was not devoid of shortcomings in preseason action and the age factor continues to fly under the radar, but it's absolutely essential. Nix does not have the luxury of time and patience like 21-year-olds Drake Maye or Caleb Williams. Nix threw more than twice as many passes as Maye during their respective college careers. His experience advantage is so great that, if he doesn't vastly outperform the likes of Williams or Maye out of the gate, it reflects poorly on the Oregon product. Nix's whole deal was "he is NFL ready." Now he needs to follow through on that promise.

Maybe it all works out, but Nix faces a ton of immediate pressure on a team that does not profile as a contender. In fact, some projections have Denver finishing at the bottom of the AFC standings. That outcome would reflect quite poorly on Nix and raise serious questions about his worthiness as a top-12 pick.