The Denver Broncos enter the 2025 training camp with as many questions as hopes, particularly around the quarterback position. All eyes are firmly fixed on Bo Nix, the former Oregon Ducks star who is about to begin his second year in the NFL after an uneven but occasionally promising rookie campaign. For a franchise desperate to find stability under center after years of quarterback purgatory, the 2024 first-round pick carries not only the expectations of his front office but the hopes of a fan base longing for a return to relevance. As training camp kicks off, the focus will be not just on whether Nix can grow into the role of a consistent NFL starter, but whether he can elevate the Broncos offense and assert himself as the leader Sean Payton envisioned when Denver made the bold move to invest in him.
Bo Nix’s rookie year was a tale of two halves. In the first few weeks of the 2024 season, he looked every bit like a player adjusting to the speed and complexity of professional defenses. Timing issues, pocket awareness, and decision-making under pressure were all works in progress. But as the season wore on, Nix showed a steady curve of improvement. The flashes of what made him a high draft pick began to emerge. He showcased his trademark toughness, strong arm, and ability to extend plays with his legs. The mental processing sped up. His accuracy improved, particularly on short and intermediate throws, and his rapport with skill-position players began to take shape. He finished the year with respectable numbers for a rookie — 3,120 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions — but more importantly, he looked increasingly comfortable running Sean Payton’s offense by December.
This offseason, the Broncos made a deliberate choice to double down on Nix’s development. Rather than bringing in a veteran to push him or threaten his starting role, the coaching staff gave him a vote of confidence by keeping the quarterback room intact, allowing Nix to enter camp as the unquestioned starter. That means the job is his to lose, but also his to command. The team’s actions send a clear message: they believe Bo Nix is the future, and they’re giving him the runway to prove it.
Training camp is where the rubber meets the road for that vision. Nix enters this critical second year with a full offseason of learning Payton’s playbook, building chemistry with his weapons, and understanding what it takes to prepare at an elite level. No longer a wide-eyed rookie, he’s expected to operate with more autonomy, more precision, and more command of the huddle. The mental reps he’s taken over the last year will need to manifest as sharper reads, quicker decisions, and fewer mistakes. The pressure will mount — not just from defenders trying to take his head off during preseason reps, but from a coaching staff that will expect a leap in consistency and execution.
The Broncos have also taken steps to build an offense tailored to Nix’s strengths. The offensive line, once a revolving door of mediocrity, has stabilized, giving Nix better protection up front. Rookie additions and returning veterans at the skill positions offer a more complete supporting cast. Javonte Williams is healthy and hungry in the backfield, providing a powerful rushing presence that can take pressure off Nix. At receiver, Courtland Sutton remains a reliable boundary target, while second-year breakout candidate Marvin Mims Jr. is expected to take a significant step forward as a versatile speed threat. Add in Greg Dulcich as a mismatch tight end when healthy, and suddenly, the offense has pieces that can thrive with a smart, decisive quarterback pulling the strings.
Still, it all circles back to Nix. Training camp will be the litmus test for how far he’s come in terms of understanding and executing the offense. Coaches will look for clean practices — minimal turnovers, efficient movement through progressions, crisp timing with receivers. They’ll also evaluate how he leads: is he vocal in the huddle, commanding in meetings, assertive in installing corrections after mistakes? Can he bounce back from a bad rep or a poor throw, or does it snowball into shaky confidence? These intangible elements often separate good quarterbacks from great ones, and camp is where they get cultivated.
For Nix, one of the areas under intense scrutiny will be his downfield accuracy and decision-making. In college, he was often hesitant to pull the trigger on deep routes unless the throw was wide open. That tendency carried into his rookie season, where he struggled at times to trust his reads and take shots downfield. With Payton’s vertical passing concepts baked into the playbook, Nix needs to grow more comfortable letting it rip. Training camp offers a controlled environment to build that muscle — to throw with conviction, learn from mistakes in real time, and develop a deeper chemistry with his receivers on timing-based throws.
Another important area is his pocket presence. One of the knocks on Nix during his early college years was his tendency to bail from clean pockets and improvise too quickly. While his mobility is an asset, it can be a double-edged sword if it leads to broken plays or unnecessary hits. As he enters year two, the coaching staff will want to see him hang in the pocket longer, step up into pressure rather than escape sideways, and keep his eyes downfield as chaos swirls around him. Growth in this area will go a long way toward turning him from a scrappy playmaker into a reliable NFL starter.
Beyond the on-field mechanics, Nix will also be tested as the face of the franchise during training camp. The quarterback position in Denver carries weight — a legacy shaped by John Elway, stained by post-Manning dysfunction, and desperately in need of revival. Fans want a leader they can believe in. Coaches want someone who raises the standard. Teammates want a guy they can rally behind when the game gets tight. This isn’t just about arm strength or touchdown-to-interception ratio. It’s about presence, maturity, and poise. Bo Nix has always been known as a high-character player, and now is the time to show that he can set the tone for the entire team.
There will be growing pains, as there are for every young quarterback. Training camp is rarely smooth sailing. There will be days when Nix is picked off twice in team drills or when a two-minute drill fizzles with an incompletion on fourth down. The key is how he responds. The Broncos don’t need perfection in July. What they need is resilience, trajectory, and signs of a player ready to ascend. That’s the bar for Bo Nix as he heads into his second training camp.
The expectations around Denver are cautiously optimistic. With the AFC West as competitive as ever — Patrick Mahomes still ruling Kansas City, the Chargers retooling around Jim Harbaugh, and the Raiders building a tough defense — the Broncos aren’t expected to leap into contention overnight. But improvement must come, and it must start at quarterback. If Nix takes a meaningful step forward, the Broncos could surprise some people. If not, the carousel continues, and the consequences could be sweeping.
The pressure is real, but so is the opportunity. Bo Nix doesn’t need to be an MVP candidate in year two, but he does need to solidify himself as the answer under center. He needs to show mastery of the playbook, connection with his teammates, and growth in all the little areas that separate a competent quarterback from a cornerstone one. Training camp will be the first window into how that journey is progressing.
For Denver fans, the dream is that Bo Nix becomes what the team has lacked for nearly a decade — a steady, dynamic presence at quarterback who can win games with both his arm and his brain. That dream doesn’t need to be fulfilled in July, but it needs to begin. Training camp won’t determine the entire season, but it will tell us whether Bo Nix is building on a foundation or still pouring the concrete. The signs are promising. Now, it’s up to Nix to deliver.
