Bo Nix returned to the field for the Denver Broncos last week against the Green Bay Packers in preseason action for the first time since breaking his ankle toward the end of January's divisional round playoff victory over the Buffalo Bills.
Nix played on each of the Broncos' first two offensive possessions before giving way to Jarrett Stidham, completing six of his nine pass attempts for 76 yards, which included a beautiful 21-yard touchdown toss to RJ Harvey. It was all the Broncos needed to see out of Nix this preseason, as he likely won't play in the team's preseason finale against the Minnesota Vikings on Friday night.
ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky, a former NFL quarterback himself, took a look at some of what Nix did in his return to the field,
and he found some good and some bad.
How good is Bo Nix?
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) August 24, 2026
Man-very good + Waddle
Zone-the big ?@GetUpESPN @markschlereth @bstokley14 pic.twitter.com/5fsMHP98UF
Orlovsky took a look at a couple of different plays, starting with Nix's completion to Jaylen Waddle for a 35-yard gain. Focusing on his footwork, Orlovsky noted how confident Nix looked against man coverage, correctly reading the defense, setting his feet and firing it down the passing lane.
"Everyone at home, just strictly focus on Bo Nix's feet, cause his feet will tell you how confident he is," Orlovsky said.
Footwork will be a key factor in 2026 for Bo Nix
Later, he looked at a play in which the Packers disguised the defense a little, making it appear like man coverage before dropping into zone coverage. On this play, Nix's feet were never settled, and he missed what should have been an easy throw to a wide-open Courtland Sutton.
"Let's look at Bo Nix's feet on this clip," said Orlovsky. "When he catches that snap, does it look different than the last one? Look, move, move, move, hop, hop, and all of a sudden, there's a runaround."
Nix then fired the ball wide to Sutton, who caught it, but couldn't get his feet in bounds.
Defenses will only become more sophisticated when the games start to matter, and if Orlovsky is seeing this, teams on the Broncos' schedule will, too. Footwork is among the most important traits for an NFL quarterback, and inconsistency in that area has been one of the few things that has held Nix back in his first two years in the league.
That will be something to watch as the season progresses.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Dan Orlovsky reviews Bo Nix’s first game with 2026 Broncos
