ESPN Throws Cold Water on the Bo Nix Hype With a Gloomy Prediction

The Bo Nix hype this summer has been real, after his historic rookie campaign. But after a lackluster preseason debut, ESPN has predicted calamity.

Aug 9, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) drops back to pass in the first quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images | David Gonzales-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos believe they have found their franchise quarterback in Bo Nix, and most fans agree. However, not everyone shares that same belief, as multiple analysts have asserted concerns over the second-year quarterback. 

Those Nix critics were served up a tasty 2025 appetizer to sink their teeth into when the Broncos' starting unit turned in a lackluster performance in the team's preseason opener vs. the San Francisco 49ers. Nix went 6-of-11 for a measly 31 yards before Payton pulled the starters.

In the wake of Saturday's exhibition game, ESPN's Seth Walder has voiced a gloomy misgiving over the legitimacy of Nix as a franchise quarterback. In an article laying out future NFL power rankings, Walder offered up a bold take for the Broncos. 

"Nix will lose his starting job during the 2027 season, which will be his last as a Bronco. There's optimism around him now, but there's reason to be skeptical in the long term. As a rookie, his rushing led him to be decent efficiency-wise," Walder wrote. "But he ranked 28th in completion percentage over expectation (minus-2.4%) and 22nd in yards per dropback (6.16) despite playing behind a top-tier offensive line. The roster around him is great now, but it won't always be."

First things first, those are concerning numbers for the long-term success of a quarterback, but it doesn’t paint the whole picture. The offensive line was great, but it's not like Nix had a great offense around him as a rookie, which explains a lot for those paying attention. 

The Broncos' offense last year was notorious for having one of the worst rushing offenses in the NFL, with Nix being almost the lone bright spot when it came to running the ball. Teams didn’t have to fear a rushing attack, which plays into the diminished numbers Walder mentions, as teams didn’t have to stay honest to the run. 

From there, the lack of receiving weapons surrounding Nix, with no legitimate tight end threat, and a young receiver corps featuring two rookies and a second-year wideout played a role and put much more of the onus on the quarterback. Sean Payton was trying to grow Nix with his young receivers. 

So, the numbers Walder cherry-picks are concerning in a vacuum, but he fails to dive into the status of the Broncos' roster, especially the offense, as a whole, when Nix was a rookie. Things are much better around Nix this year. If those numbers don’t improve, perhaps Walder gets the last laugh. But that's a big if.

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That brings us to the second point: the 2027 season is two years away. There's a lot of football between now and then, and a lot of variables that can happen with Nix and the Broncos. So, it is a bold take for the future, but too far into the distance. 

It also doesn’t account for Payton and the work he has done with players at multiple positions. During his time as a head coach, Payton has consistently extracted career seasons out of players on his offense because he knows how to use them to their utmost and put them in positions to succeed. 

Also, Nix is Payton’s guy, and the veteran coach is going to do everything he can to ensure he is a success in the NFL. That doesn’t guarantee that Nix will be a great quarterback, or even that Walder's prediction is accurate, but it does speak to how Payton will consistently put the pieces around Nix to succeed. 

The Broncos' roster is great, but it's carried by the defense, which is why the offense still has questions and lacks depth at multiple spots. Now, the defense can help the quarterback, but the players around the signal-caller directly contribute to their success. On the flip side, the defense's impact on a quarterback is more indirect. 

Walder's comment that Denver's roster "won't always" be great is simply unfounded for the reasons I've laid out. Payton will ensure Nix has the necessary pieces to succeed around him. 

It also doesn't account for the fact that even teams led by the best quarterbacks in the NFL don't always have an incredible roster around the signal-caller. So naturally, the status of the roster will change, but it's about Payton consistently building the nest around Nix.  

The point was to fire off a bold prediction, and Walder did that. The 2027 season is a long way away, so there will be a lot of time to prove whether Walder’s take is right or wrong.

For now, the Broncos and Nix are focused on the 2025 season, as they should be, aiming for a playoff victory and not a bold take out of left field about the future two years down the road.