Broncos’ Bo Nix looks more comfortable heading into 2nd season and elusive familiarity a big reason

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) - Bo Nix looks a lot more comfortable than he did a year ago at this time, and not just because he’s no longer a wide-eyed rookie trying to carve out some snaps behind Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson.

This marks the first time since he was attending Pinson Valley High School in Alabama that the Broncos' second-year starting quarterback heads into a season with the same offensive play-caller and quarterback coach.

"It's huge," Nix said Thursday in his first public comments since leading Denver's first playoff appearance since 2016 last season. "It's kind of weird going back to the first install, it's not new verbiage and not new things. It made it a lot easier this year.

"Honestly, it felt weird because it hasn't (like this) been since high school. I'm just used to learning different things, so it's good not to have to learn an entire new system this year and have the same play-caller and have the same quarterback coach."

That familiarity makes for a much smoother offensive operation.

"Just spitting out play calls a lot easier and just processing,” Nix said. “Being around 'VJ' (defensive coordinator Vance Joseph) for a year and understanding the defense that I'm going to get. It's a lot better and a lot more enjoyable not thinking right now as opposed to what I was doing last year.

“It's fun, it's fun to be in the know and it's fun to have a little more of an understanding of what's going on so I can be a little more beneficial to others and help them out along the way. I feel good."

Nix always felt as if he was going back to Square 1 in his three seasons at Auburn and two at Oregon, because he was.

Nix said he’s excited to also have so many familiar faces in the huddle.

"The same guys you’re throwing it to. The same center and the same line," Nix said. “Being the same, it's going to be - it's hard to even explain. You're going to see it in ways that you can't even understand. It's just a natural thing to go out there and just pick up right where you left off and not have to restart."

After a slow start, Nix had a terrific rookie season, throwing for 3,775 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2024 to go with a dozen interceptions.

Coach Sean Payton is busy expanding Nix’s repertoire this upcoming season, and he, too, appreciates the stability surrounding his quarterback.

"I think it's a positive. Just the stability in what we're doing offensively and his overall understanding," Payton said following his team’s first open practice of OTAs.

Payton noted that the offensive operation under Nix is running so much smoother than it was a year ago, producing a “feeling almost like the plays can run off his tongue where a year ago you were having to repeat it twice. It's just a lot different."

Another difference from his college days is that Nix was able to take several weeks away from football after the season, so he said he’s refreshed like never before.

"I hadn't really had a break in 18 months to two years," Nix said. “It's just a lot of winding down and getting your body right. That doesn't mean fixing things that are hurt. It's just like giving your legs some rest and not running every day.

“Giving your shoulder some rest and not throwing (as much). I didn't throw a football for a while, but I was doing a lot of shoulder care and arm care and doing some rotational work and doing different things that were kind of replacing the throw.

"For me, that was good because I was able to do something different, work on my mechanics and tighten some things up, tweak a few things and feel really sharp when I picked up a football," Nix added. "I wasn't just out there wasting throws. I feel good."

NOTES: Payton said it wasn’t a big deal that defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers skipped the OTAs this week: "This is all voluntary. He's had a good offseason."