Why Broncos like Bo Nix letting his swagger show ahead of second season

Recent stories noted how Bryce Young of the Carolina Panthers and Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward have impressed teammates with the trash talk they unleashed during springtime workouts. 

It appears the same is true regarding second-year Denver Broncos signal-caller Bo Nix. 

The Athletic's Nick Kosmider detailed Friday how Nix didn't shy away from jawing with veteran safety Brandon Jones following a play that occurred during the club's mandatory minicamp this week. 

"I love that. I never wanted to be somewhere where a quarterback is kind of shy or to himself," Jones said about that interaction with Nix. "I think if a quarterback can show that dog mentality, that goes a long ways for me, and it keeps us battling. It keeps the competition super healthy and very competitive."

While Nix recently insisted he hasn't "done anything yet" as an NFL starting quarterback, one couldn't blame the 12th overall pick of the 2024 draft from having a bit more confidence than he had at this time last summer after he went 10-7 to guide the Broncos to the playoffs. According to Pro Football Reference, the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award finalist ended his first pro regular season ranked sixth in the NFL with 29 touchdown passes and 12th with 3,775 passing yards. 

Members of the Broncos coaching staff, such as offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, will want Nix to avoid becoming too cocky. That said, it sounds like Lombardi and Co. have no problem with Nix showing a bit more swagger ahead of his second NFL training camp. 

"He had a completion on a play-action concept (in practice) that, last year, he probably wasn’t real comfortable with the footwork," Lombardi recently explained while speaking about Nix. "He came back and said, 'Man, it’s so great that I don’t have to think about the footwork.' You can just feel the comfort level. He’s not thinking as much when you give him the play. He can get in and out of the huddle with a lot more comfort. He doesn’t have to think as much. He can just kind of play free and natural, and you can certainly sense that out here."

As of Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Broncos at -105 betting odds to notch over 9.5 wins during the upcoming season. How far Denver goes above that number could be determined by how much of a jump Nix makes from when he and the Broncos suffered a 31-7 wild-card playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills back in January.