Bo Nix and Sean Payton's 'evolving' relationship is opening up Broncos' offense

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Bo Nix was blunt when asked in early September about his involvement in the game-planning process alongside Sean Payton, days before the Broncos’ coach-quarterback duo prepared for their first game together.

“Right now, as a rookie, I don’t have a whole lot of say,” Nix said during the week leading up to his NFL debut in Seattle. “I just go in there and do what I’m told.”

This wasn’t a complaint. Far from it, in fact. Nix credited Payton and Denver’s offensive staff for being “very intrigued with what I’ve been good at in the past and my strengths” and catering to those. Mutual trust had been built throughout the offseason thanks to that approach.

“At the same time, he’s been doing this for almost 20 years so he’s going to be doing what he’s comfortable with,” Nix said of Payton. “It’s my job to go out there and execute what he calls.”

Fast forward to the start of December, as the surging Broncos prepare to host the Cleveland Browns on “Monday Night Football,” and it’s clear Nix is no bystander in shaping an offense that continues to improve. Nix may not be scripting each play alongside Payton, but his voice in forming the plan carries weight. And Nix is no wallflower.

“I do not mind giving him an honest opinion,” Nix said.

As Nix has passed his way to three straight NFL Rookie of the Week awards, teammates and coaches praise the rookie’s unflinching routine. He hits the field on game days nearly four hours before kickoff. His routine begins with a dynamic stretch, resistance band work and sprints, then progresses into a layered throwing program alongside quarterbacks coach Davis Webb. The game day routine mirrors his detailed preparation throughout the week, and Nix has sharpened his process as the season has progressed.

“We’re able to tell him, ‘Here’s what Davis did when he played; Here’s what Drew (Brees) did when he played and we coached him,’ and help him drill down on exactly what he wants his routine to be,” offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said. “He’s very disciplined in that way and very mature in that way.”

Right guard Quinn Meinerz said he doesn’t view Nix’s noteworthy performances over the past couple of months as some quantum leap “because I’ve seen the same type of person on a daily basis.”

“He works hard and through time as a young player with more games, more snaps, more everything, you’re going to continue to develop,” Meinerz said. “He’s here early every day, first-one-there, last-to-leave type of person. He prepares really well and it shows in whatever moment. He has extreme confidence that makes him ready for whatever.”

As Nix has honed his routine during his first year in the NFL, he’s become increasingly comfortable with how his preparation fits into Denver’s offensive ecosystem. In Payton, Lombardi, Webb, passing-game coordinator John Morton and senior offensive assistant Pete Carmichael, the Broncos have an offensive braintrust that has been working together for years — more than a decade in some instances — and have developed a collaborative process that invites healthy confrontation.

“The worst thing to be is alone with an idea,” Payton said. “Like, ‘Joe, what do you (think)? Pete?’ Those guys and Davis, whoever’s in that room — whether it’s the run game or the pass game — ultimately, I’ll say I’m comfortable with that or I’m not. I have to call it, but I think that those sounding boards, over the years, the filters are what they are. I don’t want guys that just agree with everything.”

That process has led to noticeable, if subtle changes in how the Broncos are building game plans and calling plays around Nix. Denver has seen its use of play-action passes tick up from 8.5 per game in Weeks 1-4 to 10.1 in the eight games since, according to TruMedia, taking more advantage of Nix’s ability to use his legs on designed roll-outs. They are finding ways to more comfortably put Nix under center, too. The rookie has been in the shotgun only 61.8 percent of the time since Week 8, which ranks 32nd out of 39 quarterbacks in that frame, a development that aids in Denver’s run-pass disguise. The Broncos have also found success with an expanded menu of screen plays in recent weeks, including two that went for touchdowns in the Week 11 victory over the Falcons.

“We have a lot of guys involved in those plays — backs, receivers — and they have to think about it,” tight end Adam Trautman said of Denver’s screen game, long a central tenant of Payton’s best offenses. “It slows down the rush and helps with things like that. It’s always been a vital part of this offense and it’s good to get that going.”

The wealth of offensive experience on his staff and in his quarterback room — Nix credits backups Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson with helping him navigate life as an NFL quarterback — allows Payton to comfortably delegate tasks and split up the game-planning workload. But his one-on-one relationship with his quarterback as finishing touches are put on those plans remains as important as ever. During preparation for last week’s game against the Raiders, Payton provided a window into how those meetings unfold.

“I think the process has been pretty consistent and, week by week there, will be certain things (that change),” Payton said. “What’s really important is (preparation) as the week evolves. Tonight, we game plan third down. There’s a play that I want to install. Because it’s a play we haven’t run, it’s important the look we get (from the defense in practice) tomorrow — maybe two times — is conducive to a new play. Probably for (Nix) as well, where come Saturday, he’s saying, ‘This is a green play, I like it.’ So that dialogue, that back and forth, is important.”

In other words, Nix has a say. The son of a former college and high school head coach, Nix has always had a deep appreciation for the detailed work that staffs put into creating game plans that attack opponent weaknesses, minimize their own, and generally plot a path toward victory. And it’s clear he has enjoyed his growing input in that plan as an increasingly impressive rookie season progresses.

“We are evolving, cutting it up on the sideline, and we are going back and forth,” Nix said last month of his relationship with Payton. “It is good times out there and great memories.”