The Denver Broncos have an injured quarterback who's rehabbing, and owner Greg Penner gave an update on Bo Nix.
Now that the Denver Broncos have made their big splashy trade for receiver Jaylen Waddle, all eyes are turning to quarterback Bo Nix as the draft and OTAs approach.
The Broncos know this, and it was owner Brad Penner who spoke out on Nix’s situation, as reported in a piece by Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk via Nick Kosmider of The Athletic. Penner indicated that Nix was ahead of schedule in his rehab after undergoing surgery for the broken ankle that ended his season back in January.
“He’s attacked his recovery like he attacks preparing for games,” Penner said. “He’s done a terrific job. He’s ahead of schedule. No concerns at all for OTAs and [he will] go forward from there. Really, really pleased with his progress and the support from [vice president of player health] Beau Lowery and everyone.”
This is one of those quotes that deserves close scrutiny. The reports that first surfaced about Nix’s injury had it being so severe that he was instructed not to put any weight on it for a month, which is close to a worst-case scenario for a simple break with no complications.
But that’s what the Broncos are claiming happened, and they spent a week or two after the initial injury walking back coach Sean Payton’s initial quotes in which he said Nix was “predisposed” to the injury.
So what’s really going on here? The first phrase to hone in on is “ready for OTAs.” That could mean anything, for better or worse, especially if you count mental reps and meet-and-greets with Waddle as part of the process.
The second phrase that’s important is the amorphous “ahead of schedule” claim. That, too, could mean anything, so the key question is whether that means Nix will be on the field actually taking snaps when training camp starts this summer.
Fortunately for the Broncos, they’re well prepared if Nix isn’t there yet. They already have backups Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger to absorb the throwing workload, but one thing to watch for is whether the Broncos elect to sign a camp arm to spread the load even further.
We probably won’t know much more for the next month or two, but there was an intriguing quote from GM George Paton about Nix, Waddle and his quarterback’s tendency to play GM.
“I wasn’t with him when he found out, but he was pretty excited when I walked down to the training room,” George Paton said of Nix’s reaction to the Waddle news, via Kosmider. “He was excited. He obviously went to dinner with all of us. I think Bo thinks he is a quasi-GM sometimes. Sometimes he is right, and sometimes he is wrong, but I think he’s right on this guy. This guy is pretty special.”