Sean Payton explains how Bo Nix is “entirely different” in his second year with the Denver Broncos from his first

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Bo Nix‘s second season in the NFL officially kicked off this week as the Denver Broncos took the field for OTAs.

As a rookie, Nix not only blew expectations out of the water, he set records.

Going into his second season, however, the Broncos’ signal caller isn’t picking up where he left off. He’s entirely different, according to Sean Payton.

“It’s a lot different,” the Broncos’ head coach said, when asked after Thursday’s OTA practice about where Nix is now compared to last year. “We don’t use that term, ‘Pick up where we left off,’ but just the processing [and] understanding of what we’re doing in and out of the huddle. These three days—as you’re watching each decision, [the throws are] where you want the ball to go. I think it’s entirely different.”

Of course, Payton means that in a positive way. And the 25-year-old quarterback agrees with his head coach.

“I feel like I’m a lot further [along],” Nix said after Thursday’s practice. “Just spitting out play calls a lot easier and just processing. Being around ‘VJ’ (Vance Joseph) for a year and understanding the defense that I’m going to get.”

“It’s a lot better and a lot more enjoyable not thinking right now as opposed to what I was doing last year,” he continued. “It’s fun, it’s fun to be in the know and it’s fun to have a little more of an understanding of what’s going on so I can be a little more beneficial to others and help them out along the way. I feel good. We’re in a good spot.”

During Thursday’s practice, Nix did exactly that. On multiple occasions, the second-year quarterback was coaching and teaching his own teammates to a much greater extent than he did during his rookie season.

With a full season under his belt, Nix is no longer thinking as much as he was during his rookie season. Instead, he’s diagnosing the defense and just playing.

“It helps a lot,” Nix said, when asked about not having to think as much a year into the NFL. “I’m not thinking about what the offense is doing. Usually that’s the case. When you go up to the line of scrimmage, you want to be only thinking about the defense. Only processing and reacting to the defense, not the footwork, or the motion, or the timing or whatever that I’m doing. That process is eliminated, and now I can focus on a lot more of the defense.”

Last year, while having to think about that process instead of just worry about the defense, Nix still threw for 29 touchdowns to only 12 interceptions.

This year, along with an additional season under his belt, the second-year quarterback has another advantage. For the first time since high school, he’ll have the same play caller in back to back seasons.

“It’s huge,” Nix stated confidently. “It’s kind of weird going back to the first install, it’s not new verbiage and not new things. It made it a lot easier this year. Now, it was tough to learn it last year, but being in a system and getting right back to where we were, just being able to call plays and understanding what it’s like—going longer than 365 days just hearing the same thing, I think it’s going to be really beneficial. Honestly, it felt weird because it hasn’t been since high school.”

“I’m just used to learning different things, so it’s good not to have to learn an entire new system this year and have the same play caller and have the same quarterback coach,” he added. “[Also], the same guys you’re throwing it to. The same center and the same [offensive] line. Being the same, it’s going to be—it’s hard to even explain. You’re going to see it in ways that you can’t even understand. It’s just a natural thing to go out there and just pick up right where you left off and not have to restart.”

Payton believes that’ll benefit his young quarterback too.

“I think it’s a positive. Just the stability in what we’re doing offensively and his overall understanding,” the head coach said on Thursday, when asked about Nix finally having continuity with an offense. “It kind of goes to the earlier question of him just out here, taking the script, going through it and feeling almost like the plays can run off his tongue where a year ago you were having to repeat it twice. It’s just a lot different.”

Bo Nix has officially left the rookie title behind. And early indications are his next act is shaping up to be even better.