Bo Nix draws Joe Flacco comparison as Broncos' most promising player

Jul 05, 2026 - 17:25

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Bo Nix draws Joe Flacco comparison as Broncos' most promising player originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Denver Broncos know what they have in starting quarterback Bo Nix. The rest of the NFL and its fans continue to believe he's mediocre and closer to the back half of the quarterbacks in the league than he is the top half.

In two seasons with the team since being chosen in the first round in 2024, Nix has taken the Broncos to the playoffs, something the team hadn't done once since it won Super Bowl 50. He suffered a broken ankle in the divisional round of the playoffs last season, and the wheels fell off in the AFC Championship Game.

His importance to the team is immense.

Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report recognizes this, comparing Nix to Joe Flacco from his time with the Baltimore Ravens when naming Nix the most promising player of the Broncos' roster. Here was his analysis:

"It may be time to give Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix the ol' Joe Flacco treatment.
Is Nix an elite quarterback or just the product of great coaching and a championship-caliber supporting cast? He's probably closer to the latter than the former—which may be why he didn't earn a Pro Bowl nod despite having strong numbers with the AFC's best team.
Still, it's impossible to ignore just how much better the Broncos have been since using a first-round pick on Nix two years ago. Denver has made two playoff runs, won the AFC West once, and came within a few plays of reaching Super Bowl LX since the Oregon product arrived.
Had Nix not suffered an ankle fracture in the divisional round, we might well have seen the Broncos in the Super Bowl.
While Nix still has room to grow as a passer and has exhibited an uneven level of play, his numbers over the last two seasons—7,706 passing yards, 786 rushing yards, 63 combined touchdowns, 90.5 QB rating—and results are undeniable. Don't be shocked if he gets a second contract as soon as he's eligible next offseason."

Flacco, despite winning a Super Bowl in Baltimore, never got the respect he felt he deserved, either. He was, however, vocal about the fact that he thought he was the best quarterback in the league at that time.

Broncos fans know their quarterback is good, regardless of outside perception. And if Nix can go on the kind of postseason run that Flacco had in 2013 — which is one of the best for a quarterback in NFL history — it won't matter what the outside world thinks.

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This Broncos team has one of the best defenses in the NFL, but it will only go as far as Nix can take them, and last season was proof of that.