Simms' 2026 QB Countdown: Bo Nix
Chris Simms discusses Bo Nix 's ranking on the quarterback countdown, explaining why the Broncos signal caller needs to improve as a decision maker but has the ability to be a top 10 quarterback.
Video Transcript
Number 16 on the quarterback countdown, up one spot- Yeah from last year, slowly climbing upwards, is Bo Nix.
Yeah.
The, I mean, th- this is where it started to hurt doing this exercise.
I would say this is The next two guys we're gonna talk about where I'd go, yeah, they're here at, you know, 16 and 15, but, could they be, you know, nine, eight, you know, when the year's over or do I wanna redo?
Yeah.
Certainly.
'Cause they got talent.
I mean, Bo Nix, I mean, I like Bo Nix's game a lot.
I think really what I'm gonna tell you about what I don't like about it is really just youngness and rawness and just getting a little bit better and more polished and playing a little more football at the NFL level, right?
Now, some of it too is just hard with Bo Nix is just that, you know, not a lot of talent around him on the offensive side of the ball.
You're not blown away by the receivers.
They didn't run the ball all that great there that last year either.
Right.
They're trying to change both those things.
Yep, yep.
And I would say too, you know, I s- in the most respectful way, I'm not always blown away by Sean Payton's offense.
Sean Payton's offense has all the things you want in it, has all the answers, but do I come away just going, "Oh my gosh, it's so creative.
Oh, wow."
Right.
Right?
And that, that to me is maybe why we're having a new play caller there a little bit too.
Right.
So we'll see.
But let's, like Bo Nix, first off, clutch as hell.
Let's talk about that.
No doubt.
Arm is, that's the one thing when coming back that I would say is my number one.
That his arm is explosive.
It's explosive.
He makes a lot of big power throws.
And then he can throw the ball really awesome on the run too, as we saw, right?
Now, it's efficiency is more about what the problem is with Bo Nix, and it's a little bit of all of it there, but, but these are things that you certainly can fix.
And what I would say with Bo Nix first off is sometimes a little bit like Daniel Jones where you go, "Wait, just because the Red Sea parted, you don't have to run."
Right.
You know?
You don't have to run.
A little bit better pocket feel.
Because there are times where I go, "Wait, you know, there's a lane," and he just tucked it and ran, and I wanna be like, "No, this is the perfect play versus this coverage," and you got somebody wide open for 20 yards right there.
Like I, I don't know if that was the time to run.
Yeah, you got four yards, but again, you might've lost 30 right there.
So I feel like that a little bit.
There are other times too where I could sit there and go, you know, you know, or, or don't leave the pocket.
Don't Or hang in the pocket more.
It's gonna be open.
And he kinda gets out, and because he's an athlete and he can make some plays on the run.
But again, there could be plays left there as well.
And then there could be the opposite, and that's where I was trying to get to as I was stumbling it, where I can also look at it at times and go, you know, "Wait, you're too good of an athlete.
Why are we hanging in there now?"
Right?
So there's just a little bit of a feel that way, and I think that's same thing that jumped out to me when you watch his reads down the field too.
It's just a little bit at times, "Wait, the, number one should be open right away," and he throws it, and it's like, damn, it's a car crash, right?
Well, you, you, how did you know?
That wasn't the right read.
Or, or, or it's hanging on number one too long- and not getting off of it to get to the next guy and just keep the offense in a good spot.
They had too many spots throughout the year where you were like, "Wow, they look good for two drives.
Okay, now they haven't moved the ball in seven drives.
Wow, they look good for a drive.
They haven't moved the ball in five drives.
And now, okay, we got hot for two drives.
Okay, now we haven't moved the ball again."
It's just a little all over the way, place that way, and I don't put that all on him, but he certainly didn't always help that, I guess, in that fashion.
Yeah, he's one of the more interesting quarterbacks that people discuss in the NFL because he gets labeled definitely as, well, he went to the right system for him.
Yeah, yeah.
But it felt like towards the end of the year before he got hurt, we saw him start to evolve beyond that, and then he has a serious injury.
Yes.
So it's a difficult one to rank for this year because your thing always, Chris, is that this is a neutral environment for all these quarterbacks- Totally when we're ranking them.
Totally.
And Bo's not gonna be for everybody.
But a lot of people that doubted him, he's playing better than people thought.
No.
I, I, I had my reservations as a prospect.
I'm like, man, he's just not physically impressive.
Right.
I've stood 10 feet away when he was throwing at the Senior Bowl- Yeah and I was like And that was the year he was next to Michael Penix.
Yeah.
I'm like, he just, he's gonna be a mediocre thrower at the NFL- Yeah and he's been way better than I ever thought.
He has.
He's, he's improved.
He's improved.
I don't know what it is, but- Well, I think he's just learned to, to, to let it go a little bit- Right as far as let his arm go and throw with power instead of worrying about, oh, screen- Right quick screen, let me keep it tight and be accurate- The Oregon offense special and all that stuff.
Exactly.
Yeah.
Now, there's still some of that there in Denver at times.
but, but yeah, I think more he's one, just like the guy we're gonna talk about here in a minute too, it's more about efficiency that way.
And, you know, a- as a power thrower though, I will say, he can really make some game-changing type throws.
it's, it's not always perfect, and he certainly can, you know, be a little bit better on maybe some deep throws and stuff like that.
Or not even sometimes, he falls in love with the deep throw too much when they call it, and it's just like, hey, you don't have to throw it just 'cause it's called here.
It's not open.
Let's not let it go that way.
But Bo Nix has all the ability, and is still growing to be a top 10 quarterback.
I don't have any doubt about that.
and we'll see.
With Jalen Waddle in the mix here a little bit with them, will that change their offense and really change his game?
I would think it does, but again, yeah, there's some talent here and there's some things to work on with Bo Nix.
That's the thing.
They've made the move now for a guy- Yeah to elevate the offense- Yeah in Waddle.
They've made two big moves.
They've handed the keys to Davis Webb to maybe bring a little bit more innovation to the offense.
Totally.
And they go get somebody that kinda gives you the layup and three-point ability.
I, uh- Like, you could throw Waddle a screen- but you should also throw over the top of the defense to him.
E- exactly right.
Yeah, and, and they, they need somebody to take some pressure, and I think that's where Bo Nix maybe fell into the, the, you know, getting tricked a little bit at times too, to going like, "Uh, okay, we haven't done it.
It's been three and out.
It's been three and out.
Now I gotta make a play.
I gotta do something."
And it's like, oh, you tried to make a play.
The play was there.
Just run the- Yeah offense.
And he did that, and now it's three and out again.
but I, I think anybody, you watch back their year, the offense was all over the place.
The pass game was not consistent throughout.
And yeah, there are games where you go, "Man, they can't do anything but throw it short.
That's all they're doing."
And then there's the next game where you go, "Man, nobody's open short," and yet they just had a few handful big plays down the field.
But they go through some stretches of some, you know, really underwhelming offense and pass offense during the year.
And I would say with him, I, I feel like I might have watched more with him than anybody because I was just like, ah, so on the fence, and do I wanna bump him up- Right and where do I go here?
Ultimately, this is where he lands.
