The way some in NFL circles describe it, you might imagine a dark lab somewhere where defensive coaches have assembled to dream up their most diabolical ideas.
Video of Bo Nix‘s rookie season plays on an endless loop — until, at last, someone cracks the code.
That, of course, is not actually how defensive coordinators prepare for quarterbacks who have early success in their careers.
“I hear that a lot. Look, we’re all watching the film throughout the year, so there’s not this one offseason where there’s a group of defensive coaches sitting in a room for two weeks looking at Bo Nix film,” Broncos head coach Sean Payton said.
“I mean the study and looking at the system, the players in the system — I’ve heard that, and I kind of cringe when I hear it.”
It is true that the Los Angeles Chargers knew more about Nix’s strengths and weaknesses when the teams played in Week 16 compared to Week 6 last fall. In the NFL, nothing stays secret long. Even the smallest tendencies get sniffed out quickly.
But teams don’t need an offseason to build a book on a player when they are constantly adding pages and chapters throughout a season.
“To me it’s a lazy narrative to say, ‘Now they can study him and this is why guys kind of fall off in Year 2,’” ESPN analyst Louis Riddick said. “It’s not that easy of a correlation. There’s usually some kind of other things that go into it.
“This year, people point to the idea that (Houston QB) C.J. Stroud took a step back in his second year (in 2024). Well, his offensive line was (bad). His best receiver got hurt. It wasn’t that all of a sudden C.J. didn’t progress, and everybody caught up to him. Injuries caught up to them. Attrition caught up to the football team.”
Defensive coaches do study players, trends, teams and surprises throughout the offseason. That much is true. There’s more time than the normal game week to get into the weeds and try to hone in on not just what a player does or doesn’t do well, but the minutiae as to why.
Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) during training camp at Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit in Centennial on Saturday, July 26, 2025. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) during training camp at Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit in Centennial on Saturday, July 26, 2025. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
“There’s something to be said for that. That’s a real thing,” Riddick said. “But at the same time, Bo Nix has been in the film room, too. He’s been with Sean Payton, too.
“… There’s things that Sean will prepare him for that he knows teams will try to throw at him based upon what happened last year.”
Payton and Nix seem energized by the challenge of staying ahead of the curve. It took Nix a few weeks to settle into his rookie year. Then he went on a tear. In December, he had perhaps the only downtick in efficiency, and that was primarily due to a spate of turnovers.
Earlier in the offseason, Payton noted that one of Nix’s best traits is his feet.
“He can move,” Payton said. “It’s not always a clean pocket. I think when it gets a little muddy, he makes good decisions.”
That, NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger said, is one of the areas defenses will try to take away from Nix this fall.
“The one thing that stood out to me last year is he didn’t lose a fumble. That’s hard to do,” Baldinger said. “That’s Tom Brady-esque. … So can defenses force him, in any way, whether it’s spying him or the way they rush him — trying to trap him and keep him in — can they limit some of those runs and keep him in the pocket and get more hands and bodies around him and the ball to shake it loose?”
Baldinger thinks teams will test Nix’s ability to consistently beat them down the field and outside the numbers in the passing game, too. Nix showed that ability at times, but finished the season tied for 23rd in air yards per attempt (7.4).
Riddick, similarly, said defenses will need to operate with more urgency to try and complicate Nix’s thought process.
“You want to change pictures pre-snap and post-snap and you have to do it consistently. … That’s No. 1,” he said. “No. 2, I want to knock him off rhythm and off time. I don’t want the timing aspect of his game to be something he can rely on because Sean is so good at spacing and route distribution.
“So, defend the football field inside-out. Take away the middle-of-the-field throws. They have big, physical wide receivers that can attack between the numbers. Make him push the ball outside and outside down the field.”
Defenses will likely do all of that. Try to take the ball away from Nix, keep him in the pocket and make him prove he can consistently push the ball down the field.
Bo Nix (10) of the Denver Broncos throws a deep pass during training camp at Broncos Park in Centennial on Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
Bo Nix (10) of the Denver Broncos throws a deep pass during training camp at Broncos Park in Centennial on Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
“People are going to really press on those pressure points that you’ve identified for him last year and see if he has answers,” Riddick said. “And at the same time he’s going to do a lot of self-scouting to see that and try to anticipate where that’s going to be coming from. …
“In Year 2, he’s going to be better at deciphering what’s happening.”
That’s where Nix’s experience — playing every meaningful snap of 2024, and appearing in the playoffs as a rookie — will matter.
“I think that it’ll be the same challenges,” Nix said. “It’s still going to be defenses. It’s still going to be coordinators. It’s still going to be wins and losses. It’s still going to be the health of your team. It’s still going to be new installs.
“Now I just think I’m in a better place to handle those things.”
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