Broncos QB Bo Nix Will Overcome Biggest 'Obstacle' in 2026 Season

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Ahead of his third NFL season, the "main obstacle" facing Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix is not, for example, the integration of new wide receiver Jaylen Waddle nor the gauntlet of elite competition awaiting Nix and company on the 2026 schedule.
It is, per Bleacher Report, Nix himself -- specifically, his return from a fractured ankle into an offense now led by first-year coordinator Davis Webb.
"It's a good time to be Bo Nix, who has a shiny new receiving weapon and will continue to benefit from a great offensive line and strong defense in 2026. That said, the 26-year-old is coming off multiple ankle procedures while trying to catch up on Davis Webb's new offensive approach," BR's Brad Gagnon wrote on May 29.
Nix is nearly five months removed from injuring his ankle amid the Broncos' upset over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Divisional Round playoff game. He underwent corrective surgery shortly thereafter and was slated to be sidelined for roughly 12 weeks.
Speaking in March, general manager George Paton asserted that Nix is "ahead of schedule" in his rehabilitation process, teasing a potential participatory phase during spring Organized Team Activities. However, the budding superstar signal-caller since had a second, scheduled follow-up procedure that's expected to mothball him fully until training camp in late July.
“Yes, so look… Let’s discuss the process of staging. Sometimes after the initial surgery, [it] doesn’t require a second one," head coach Sean Payton said earlier this month. "I mentioned that we had five other players that had ‘A’ and ‘B’. I think back in February, the anticipation was because we’re starting in June, I think I’m probably going to be a week-and-a-half, maybe two weeks off. I think you guys will get a chance to see it. Now if it were up to him, it’d be earlier, but we’re going to be smart.”

Never Count Bo Out
While it's certainly valid to acknowledge the added layer of difficulty that is Nix's comeback from the broken ankle, there's no reason to believe the Broncos won't be getting the same quarterback that just won 14 regular-season games and the AFC West, captured the conference's No. 1 seed, tallied a postseason victory, and should've been in the Super Bowl.
The offensive play-calling move from Payton to Webb is likely to benefit Nix rather than hamper him, given the long-established connection between the two. For those in Broncos Country who have a closer read on the team, that really isn't much of a concern -- at least to the extent that Bleacher Report framed it.
Nix has repeatedly overcome doubters and skeptics who believed he'd never be a first-round draft pick; he'd never be successful in the league; he'd never amount to anything meaningful in the Mile High City.
This is yet another opportunity for Nix to prove them all wrong.

Zack Kelberman is a senior editor at Denver Broncos On SI. He has covered the NFL for more than a decade and the Denver Broncos since 2016. He's also the co-host of the popular Mile High Huddle Podcast on Mile High Huddle.
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