Bo Nix's Year 3 Outlook Could Resemble Josh Allen's Rise, per Davis Webb

The voluntary portion of Denver Broncos OTAs is in the books. Following Thursday's practice, the Broncos made their coordinators available.

It was our first chance to hear from Davis Webb since he became the Broncos' new offensive coordinator back in January. Webb said a lot that was worth analyzing, but his observations of new Broncos wide receiver Jaylen Waddle really jumped out.

Webb was a backup quarterback with the Buffalo Bills in 2020 behind Josh Allen. The Bills went out and acquired Stefon Diggs via trade entering Allen's third year, and it sparked a massive leap forward in the young quarterback's development.

Webb sees similar things happening in Denver with Waddle's arrival and Nix entering his third year.

“He’s good. He’s a really good player," Webb said of Waddle, via The Denver Post's Parker Gabriel. "And there’s some similarities. When I was with Josh Allen going into Year 3—similar to Bo going into Year 3—and we traded for Stefon Diggs. And that was a good year. That was a good two-year run in 2020 and 2021, when I was together with them."

Buffalo Parallels in Denver

Webb saw how Allen and Diggs helped each other grow. It resulted in the Bills reaching the AFC title game in their first year together. Diggs is long gone, but Allen and the Bills haven't missed the playoffs since that trade.

Again, Webb sees the common threads with Nix and Waddle, though that's no guarantee that it unfolds for the Broncos the way that it did for the Bills. Webb and his offense are just getting started.

"Just seeing the growth from both players at that time," Webb recalled of his time with Buffalo. "There’s some similarities of what’s starting to happen here. It doesn’t mean it’s going to. We’ve got a long way to go, but man, he’s good."

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Force Multiplier

Denver Broncos wide receiver Jaylen Waddle catches a pass during OTA practice at Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit. | Gabriel Christus/Denver Broncos

Waddle has received rave reviews from his new teammates and coaches thus far. He certainly looks explosive, fast, and twitchy running around at Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit. To me, though, the most intriguing aspect of the Waddle buzz has been the word "multiplier."

We all know what a force multiplier is, and Payton has spoken of Waddle that way, and so did Webb on Thursday.

"I’ve just enjoyed the person and just watching him work. He is a blessing to be around," Webb said of Waddle. "He is a multiplier. He is a thermostat. Like, very, very good."

The Broncos want talented players, obviously. But the football character and other intangibles are also non-negotiable traits the Broncos desire.

In Webb's opinion, GM George Paton and Payton deserve a lot of credit for identifying and acquiring the right type of players to establish this winning culture that has launched the Broncos out of the NFL doldrums over the past three years.

"That’s a credit to George. That’s a credit to Sean," Webb said. "We don’t bring in bad people here. We’ve got really good players, and we’ve got great team chemistry."

Bo Watch

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) during organized team activities at Centura Health Training Center. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Nix has been strictly an observer at the two OTA practices open to the media. But we learned from Payton last week that Nix has been throwing — just not in front of the cameras yet.

Those Broncos fans who've worried over Nix missing out on the opportunity to build chemistry with Waddle should be encouraged. They've been throwing together. Nix has missed a few reps, but nothing that's going to cost him in the long run.

Based on what Payton has been saying since May, not long after the news of Nix's "clean-up procedure" broke, there's a good chance the Broncos will have their QB1 out on the grass next week for mandatory minicamp, which will feature three practices, all of which will be open to the media.

The Broncos have obviously been thrilled with the progress Nix has made through his first two seasons. Nobody can argue with the results: 24 wins, two playoff berths, a playoff win, a division crown, 7,500-plus passing yards, and 50-plus touchdowns.

Going into Year 3, the Broncos wanted to give Nix a weapon that could perhaps help him accelerate the next phase of his development and provide the offense with an entirely different caliber of receiving target. Last year, the Broncos signed running back J.K. Dobbins during mandatory minicamp, expecting to get a competent veteran ball carrier.

Dobbins was as advertised, but to the Broncos' pleasant surprise, he also ended up being a tremendous leader and lightning rod whose fingerprints were all over the team's romping success last year. Dobbins was a multiplier, and it sounds like something similar is unfolding this summer with Waddle.

The Takeaway

Going back to Buffalo circa 2020, the Diggs trade accelerated Allen's development. He surpassed the 4,000-yard passing and 30-touchdown marks for the first time in his career.

Allen received his first Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors the year Diggs arrived, too. The Bills won 13 games, and the 2021 season unfolded in a similar fashion for Allen and company.

As great as Nix has been, he's yet to eclipse the 4,000-yard and 30-touchdown mark, nor has he garnered any individual accolades beyond weekly conference player of the week awards. Webb sees the Allen parallels, and while the young OC isn't ready to fully connect those dots, even mentioning it publicly is the first step in willing it into existence.

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