All-Pro Defender Offers Telling 3-Word Comment About Broncos QB Bo Nix

Bo Nix changed the “atmosphere” around the Denver Broncos, and it did not take new teammate and All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga long to notice or figure out why.

Signed in free agency from the San Francisco 49ers, Hufanga spoke with Broncos Super Bowl champion wide receiver Bennie Fowler about his decision, and the Broncos’ second-year quarterback was integral. Hufanga said the Broncos have something “special.”

As for Nix, “He is the reason.”

“Oh, yeah. Most definitely. He reached out immediately. Got to see him … the day I signed, and got to chop it up with him. He’s a guy that’s just been a gamer,” Hufanga said.  “Everybody was kind of skeptical about his rookie season, and he just came out here and balled. And that’s what I love about it,” Hufanga said on the “DNVR Broncos” podcast on May 1.

“Even talking to Dre, he was my locker partner at the Niners. And then when we came here together, we’re like, ‘Man, when you got a quarterback that can go out there and really play?’ And as a defense, you can – it’s not just three and out. … There’s a lot of teams like that in the NFL. And so for us, it was like, ‘Man, we got potential here. And so why can’t we come over here and help change?’ But he’s [Nix] the reason.”

“The atmosphere has changed a lot in these last few years; just seeing what they went through, and then having a guy like Bo come in and do what he does, and the way he works. I’ve just been around it so far in the OTAs, the dude hustles,” Hufanaga said.

“Love it, excited to work with him, and excited to, hopefully, go the distance.”

Bo Nix Proving Worth Off the Field

Hufanga is the second free agent to speak on Nix’s efforts to secure their services for the Broncos in free agency this offseason. Nix also maintained constant contact with tight end Evan Engram during the latter’s free agency.

“Yeah, we were in contact with him throughout the whole deal,” Nix told Altitude Sports’ Vic Lombardi on March 14. “We’re excited for all of them.”

Engram also spoke about Nix impressing him during his visit to the Broncos.

“There’s something special there. And then obviously, the rapport he has in the building. The way the coaches talk about him is – was something that really meant a lot to me,” Engram told Fowler on the podcast in April. “Really excited to get to work with Bo. He has a bright future ahead of him.

“Whatever I can do to make his job easier, and to help him evolve as the great player that he can become, it’s a great opportunity for myself.”

Engram, Nix, and the Broncos will hit the field for OTAs May 27 through May 29.

Broncos Taking Advantage of Bo Nix Benefit

Nix’s success benefits the Broncos on many levels, most significantly because he solves the most important position in the game.

However, that he was able to step in right away and, not only snap their playoff drought, but also put forth a historic campaign adds another layer. The Broncos are able to go out and have the kind of free agency period they did because of Nix’s rookie scale contract.

Good quarterbacks are generally expensive.

Nix will earn the 37th-highest salary among QBs in 2025, per Over The Cap. Nix affords the flexibility for splashes like the Broncos made in Engram, Hufanga, and Dre Greenlaw.