Broncos Legend Explains Why He's Still Worried About Bo Nix

Once again, Broncos Country is on quarterback watch. Only this time, it's for a whole different set of reasons.

Opinions abound surrounding Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix's outlook coming off ankle surgery. Some are quite pessimistic about it, considering that it's the third such injury of Nix's right ankle, while others believe what the Broncos have been saying, and that he'll be ready in time for meaningful football.

The conversation was complicated by Nix's sudden clean-up procedure back in April, which pushed his recovery timeline from OTAs to training camp, although head coach Sean Payton expressed optimism that his quarterback will be able to participate at some point during June's voluntary and/or mandatory on-field practice sessions.

Payton portrayed the clean-up procedure as entirely routine, even though the Broncos hadn't mentioned it as a possibility publicly, nor linked any such eventuality to his return timeline this offseason.

Broncos legend Mark Schlereth has undergone surgery enough times himself that he can conclude with some certainty that the "scheduled" clean-up procedure was likely far from expected. During an episode of Schlereth's The Stinkin' Truth Podcast alongside co-host Mike Evans, the former back-to-back Super Bowl champion was asked whether the Broncos have "done enough" to improve this offseason.

Schlereth quickly shifted to his primary concern, which isn't the Broncos' free-agent haul or draft class, but Nix's ankle.

“I think there’s no question that they have done enough. It really comes down, to me, [to] Bo Nix’s ankle," Schlereth said. "I know they’re downplaying the severity of the injury, and they say, ‘Oh, it was scheduled.’ No, it wasn’t. This is an unscheduled-scheduled going back into the ankle because something... you had a setback in your rehabilitation. So, that’s the thing that scares me.”

The Nagging Concern

Bo Nix and Shaq Thompson — Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) is tackled by Buffalo Bills linebacker Shaq Thompson (45). | Dustin Bradford / IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

Schlereth is giving voice to the very concern that has dogged Broncos Country since the news of Nix's clean-up procedure broke in April. Part of the reason for that was how the Broncos' PR messaging surrounding Nix's recovery was so adamant that he'd be ready for OTAs. When that changed, it cast a pall of credibility over the entire situation.

On the flip side, some fans are inclined to give the Broncos the benefit of the doubt on the Nix subject. After all, Payton is notoriously guarded and paranoid when it comes to providing any public information about player injuries, so it's understandable why the shot-callers at Dove Valley may have been tight-lipped about any Nix follow-up procedures.

Loose lips sink ships, so it's also safe to say that if Payton hadn't mishandled the conversations about Nix's injury from the get-go, perhaps the Broncos may have been able to keep a tighter lid on the clean-up procedure, which is rightly being perceived as a setback in his recovery.

Beware the Rabbit Hole

Trying to read the tea leaves can quickly send one down the rabbit hole, so it's best to stick to the facts. The Broncos have continued to express confidence in Nix being ready to go and unencumbered well in time for September football, and they've continued to build the nest around him by acquiring wide receiver Jaylen Waddle via trade and making a few choice selections in the draft.

For as stark as Schlereth's sober misgivings sound, it's important to note that he also pointed to how high the organization is on the upside of this roster.

“I think they’ve redone 10 contracts in the last, I don’t know, 12 months. Like 10 different contracts. They’re telling you, 'We really like our players. We think our players are excellent,'" Schelreth said of the Broncos. "And then, I think when you make a trade for a Jaylen Waddle, and you look at the 30th overall pick, and you say, ‘There is nobody in this draft that can even come close to what a Jaylen Waddle has the ability to give you,' is remarkable.”

The strength of the roster that Broncos GM George Paton has established around Nix says a lot about the overall confidence the team has in him completing his rehab in time for football season. Ideally, that return comes no later than training camp, but fans were told it would be OTAs.

New offensive coordinator Davis Webb will be as anxious as anybody, because the last thing he'll want to do is bubble-wrap Nix and diminish the dynamic element of his mobility from the game plan.

The Takeaway

The way the Broncos' 2025 season ended speaks volumes about how talented and important Nix is to the club's championship ambitions. The second he was out of the equation, the Broncos' Super Bowl dream evaporated.

Training camp will undoubtedly arrive with most Broncos fans holding their breath and crossing their fingers — at least until Nix gets through a few days of unfettered practice without incident. The bottom line is that Nix's recovery will be a major concern floating beneath the surface until he dispels it on the field.

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