Broncos QB Bo Nix Disrespected in NFL.com's Rankings

The Denver Broncos seemingly got their guy in Bo Nix. He had a great rookie season and led the team back to the playoffs with a roster described as devoid of talent.

As we got into the preseason, all the talk was about how Denver needed to add all these weapons around Nix to help him. But his season was so good that at one point, he was making a push for the Offensive Rookie of the Year award and did finish as a finalist. While Nix finished third in the ORoY voting, which was disrespectful to his season as it was, an analyst for NFL.com released his quarterback rankings and took it to another level. 

NFL.com's Nick Shook ranked all 59 starting quarterbacks based on regular season and playoffs. Nix was one of 14 starting quarterbacks to play in the playoffs, and despite that, NFL.com ranked him 20th.

"Take a victory lap, Bo. Denver's decision to spend its first-round pick on the Oregon product was met with plenty of immediate criticism, but Sean Payton trusted his gut and showed he, and the Broncos’ front office, were correct in thinking Nix was the ideal fit for his offense," Shook wrote. "Payton consistently had his rookie passer on the move, and Nix thrived accordingly -- so much so that he generated legit Offensive Rookie of the Year buzz at midseason. Those takes tailed off once Nix encountered some difficulties, but his debut season was a resounding success nonetheless. 

Ranking 20th might seem alright at first glance, as it's out of 59 total players, but some players ahead of Nix make the disrespect clear. It can’t be shrugged off for him being a rookie, as Jayden Daniels was fifth in these rankings, which is deserved. 

Matthew Stafford is a great quarterback, but he had a rough season. He threw for fewer yards and touchdowns and had a lower completion percentage than Nix while throwing 50 fewer passes. He was No. 8 in these rankings.

There was more talent around Stafford to be successful, but he wasn’t. The rankings are also based strictly on the 2024 season, including playoffs. 

Jordan Love ranked 10th, but he had worse weapons to work with than Nix. However, he still performed worse than Nix, with fewer yards and touchdowns and only one less interception.

Green Bay's offense didn’t have much of a run game, but it ran the fifth-most in the NFL. Additionally, Love missed two games while Nix played them all. 

Geno Smith missed one game and performed better than Nix in yardage, but he threw eight fewer touchdowns and three more interceptions, ranking No. 12. This comes with having one of the better-receiving duos in the NFL and a great run game to fall back on. The only thing Nix had over Smith was better offensive line play. 

The best ability is availability, and Brock Purdy missed three games. He also plays in one of the most straightforward offenses in the NFL for quarterbacks.

Purdy barely produced more yards than Nix, had the same amount of interceptions, and did not close in touchdowns. His team struggled, and his inconsistent play played a large part, and NFL.com ranked Purdy No. 14. 

However, after those quarterbacks, the disrespect gets infuriating. Bryce Young was 16th and benched for being such a bad quarterback early in the season. Sure, when he went back in as a starter, he played well, but you can’t ignore the start that led to his benching and NFL analysts expecting him to be traded. 

Tua Tagovailoa only played 11 games and played with one of the most loaded offenses in the NFL in terms of talent. He can’t stay on the field, and analysts across the NFL talk about how much he holds the offense back. Yet, he comes in at 18th, while Nix, who was a large part of the Broncos' offensive success, is three spots behind him. 

Dak Prescott, at 19th with only eight games, also disrespects Nix. If this is based only on the 2024 season, then there is no reasonable explanation why a guy with eight starts should be ahead of a quarterback who started every game. 

You can argue that Stafford, Smith, Love, and Purdy deserve to be ranked ahead of Nix. They had good seasons, and each had different types of adversity to overcome.

However, Young, Tagovailoa, and Prescott being ahead of Nix is nothing but disrespectful. It was Nix's first year, and many felt he wasn’t too far behind Daniels. Yet, in these quarterback rankings, Daniels is fifth, and Nix is 20th. 

At some point, the national disrespect for the Broncos will come to an end. For now, hopefully, Nix and the Broncos will use this to motivate themselves and look to prove everyone wrong, much like they did last season.