There's really no debating the reality: The Denver Broncos' 2026 offensive output will rely heavily on quarterback Bo Nix's ability to make another leap in his third year, and command the field. Heading into the campaign, wide receiver Courtland Sutton believes Nix is now ready for that kind of responsibility.
"I think from rookie year to second year, I had made a comment about him being a lot more mature and knowledgeable than most rookies," Sutton said of Nix in early August. "And from our conversations from spring to this summer before we got here — and then even now — listening to his mindset, it's ascending to another level."
Nix already is outperforming fellow quarterbacks from his 2024 draft class; Nix has the most passing attempts, completions,
touchdowns, interceptions, passing yards and fewest sacks among quarterbacks with at least 20 starts from that class.
Despite other quarterbacks from his class getting more attention than he has (Caleb Williams is the Madden 27 cover athlete and Jayden Daniels was Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2024), Nix has quietly flown under the radar. Sutton thinks Nix's expectations of himself and the rest of the team are going to be that much higher in 2026.
"He's in this spot where he's understanding the game at such a different level," Sutton said. "Now he has two years under his belt of seeing what defenses do, seeing what leverages are getting thrown at him, seeing what kind of blitzes and what kind of defensive schemes that guys are throwing at him. Listening to him talk and what he's expecting from us, it's been a lot of fun just picking his brain and teasing him a little bit. Just throw a little wrench at him every now and then. Just like, ‘What would you do in this situation?’ And of course he got an answer right away, always."
Coming off his devastating broken ankle in 2025, Nix and the Broncos offense are poised to make a Year 3 leap. If Nix and Co. can grasp and execute offensive coordinator Davis Webb's scheme, they could be heading on a championship trajectory.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Courtland Sutton says Bo Nix is understanding game at ‘a different level’
