ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Bo Nix had the play of the day on the Denver Broncos‘ first practice of training camp.
On Wednesday, during 7-on-7s, the second-year quarterback connected with Adam Trautman down the middle of the field for a 20-yard completion. With no room to operate due to tight coverage, Nix put the ball the only place the tight end could come down with it and Trautman secured it.
But the biggest news of the day came from what Sean Payton revealed after practice. And it had to do with what his quarterback did leading up to the start of training camp.
“He’s gone and visited (Drew) Brees for four or five days,” the head coach said about what Nix did this offseason.
The moment Payton and the Broncos drafted Nix on April 25, 2024, comparisons between Bo Nix and Drew Brees began immediately.
Brees’ Hall-of-Fame career took off when he joined Payton in New Orleans in 2006. So after a year learning under Payton in Denver, Nix went straight to the source to pick Brees’ brain on nearly every topic related to football, the quarterback position and Payton’s offense.
“Him just reaching out and just coordinating some time to dive into the offense, the schedule, the calendar, his schedule, his work week in-season,” Payton said on Wednesday, revealing the topics that Nix learned about from Brees. “With the schedule and wanting to know more about the offense. I don’t even know when he went, I just know he went. It was him doing more research at the position.”
A key part of this is Nix organized this meeting with Brees on his own. It wasn’t demanded by his head coach.
“All of that is stuff he’s doing on his own. Again, that’s what you’re looking for,” Payton said with satisfaction.
And, no, the nearly week-long meeting wasn’t in New Orleans. It was in San Diego, where Brees currently resides.
“There’s a lot that he wants to absorb in a fast period of time. That’s a great thing for a young player like that,” Payton stated, when talking about all of the work Nix has put in this offseason. We’re never just going to pick up from where we left off. There’s a lot of building to do when we look at last year and a lot of positive things to look at.”
The 25-year-old quarterback’s entire offseason was planned out to maximize his time and help him take a step from Year 1 to Year 2.
“He’s someone who works his tail off, wants to improve,” Payton added.
Nix didn’t just call it an offseason after meeting with Brees, either. He also met with throwing coach Tom House, who worked with Brees and Tom Brady throughout their career.
“He’s amazing. Well, he’s a baseball guy. Fascinating. He’s real smart,” Payton said about House. “He caught Hank Aaron‘s record-breaking homer, literally caught it in the dugout. So he’s a baseball guy that’s really done a great job with a lot of throwers. That’s the best way to describe him. Whether it’s baseball motion or football motion. Those opportunities we get to just have a lunch or sit and visit are pretty special for me. He’s pretty sharp.”
Don’t expect to see Nix have a different throwing motion or release, however. The throwing expert will help Nix in ways that won’t be able to be seen on the field.
As for the meetings with Brees, Payton and the Broncos would love if Nix’s time with the Hall-of-Fame quarterback showed up on the field, in the meeting rooms and on the stat sheet.
