Quarterback Bo Nix #10 of the Denver Broncos (Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images)
Denver Broncos great Ed McCaffrey is a big fan of Bo Nix.
The 25-year-old quarterback surprised everyone by posting one of the best rookie seasons ever for a quarterback. The 2024 first-round draft pick posted 29 touchdown passes, 3,775 passing yards, and 430 rushing yards. Most importantly, he led the Broncos to a playoff appearance and their first 10-win season since 2015, when they won the Super Bowl.
By every metric, the Broncos made the right decision in selecting Nix, with McCaffrey saying the Broncos and head coach Sean Payton “hit it out of the park” with their selection of the Oregon Ducks alum.
“I see a strong arm,” says McCaffrey in a one-on-one interview with RG. “I see incredible accuracy, really good footwork. He doesn’t take a lot of sacks, one of the least sacked quarterbacks in the league. That was something that Sean Payton emphasized before last season. I think they accomplished that.”
McCaffrey isn’t exaggerating. Nix was the sixth-least sacked quarterback in the league, which demonstrates that he knows how to get the ball out in a timely manner and doesn’t make many negative plays.
Those are key traits for any quarterback, but especially for a young one. There’s a reason why rookie quarterbacks often take a lot of sacks due to the learning curve of adjusting to the NFL. For example, Caleb Williams was the most-sacked quarterback in the league (68 sacks), and Jayden Daniels was the fourth-most sacked QB (48 sacks) in the NFL last season.
“Sean Payton knows where he wants his quarterback to go with the football,” says McCaffrey.
“When he calls the play, he wants the quarterback to see the field the way he sees it. Bo Nix does that this way, that’s why Payton likes him so much, so they’ll continue to work with him and the rest of the team. I’d like to see him have a really solid, quick passing game, but then be able to stretch it, get the protection he needs and take some shots down the field. That’s where having a lot of speed guys on the outside and guys running deep, crossing routes across the middle of the field, I think if he gets the time he needs, will help stretch things.”
The Broncos added a few playmakers in the offseason, including two-time Pro Bowl tight end Evan Engram and rookie wide receiver Pat Bryant. Bryant averaged 18.2 yards per reception during his senior season at Illinois, ranking second in the Big Ten in yards per catch.
While the Broncos ranked a respectable 10th in points per game, they were far from being an elite offense. They ranked 20th in yards per play (5.2), 20th in passing yards, and 16th in rushing yards. The hope is that the Broncos can become a more “explosive” offense as they look to take the next step from being a playoff team into an elite one.
“They’ll have some more explosive plays hopefully next year than what they had last year,” says McCaffrey of the Broncos. “But he’s the guy Sean Payton wants taking snaps. He sees the field the way Coach Payton sees it.”
Evan Engram: A Game-Changing Addition
McCaffrey—who was a big receiver himself at 6-foot-5—believes the 6-foot-3, 240-pound Engram will make a tremendous impact in his first year with the Broncos. Engram went through an injury-plagued campaign in 2024 but posted 114 receptions for 963 receiving yards during the 2023 season, becoming the eighth tight end in NFL history to record at least 100 receptions in a season.
“They’re going to use him as a big receiver in the passing game, and he can sometimes be a quarterback’s best friend,” says McCaffrey of Engram. “Usually the tight ends run routes that are a little closer to the quarterback over the middle of the field, easy targets for the QB. If he gets pressure, they need a guy that can win in one-on-one situations at that tight end position. So that was a big pickup.”
The three-time Super Bowl champion won two Super Bowls as a key member of the Broncos in the late ’90s, teaming up with Rod Smith and Shannon Sharpe to form a three-headed nightmare for opposing defenses. McCaffrey was surprised that Denver didn’t target an offensive playmaker such as a wide receiver or running back with their first-round draft pick. Instead, they went with cornerback Jahdae Barron with the No. 20 overall pick.
While it would have been nice to have two threats at wide receiver on the outside—Courtland Sutton is the only proven option—McCaffrey says the 30-year-old Engram will help fill that void.
“Having two elite wide receivers on either side of the quarterback really helps open things up,” says McCaffrey. “But Evan Engram will help do the same thing.”
McCaffrey’s Next Big Move: Protein Bites
While McCaffrey is obviously known for his 13-year NFL playing career and the fact that he’s the father of two NFL players—Christian and Luke—he’s keeping busy in his post-playing career. The former Pro Bowl wide receiver owns McCaffrey Brands, which specializes in nutritious and healthy food products.
Although McCaffrey has been in the business in some shape or form since 1998 (during his playing career) with the release of his spicy brown mustard line in Colorado, the McCaffrey Brands business is now expanding into more of a national profile. McCaffrey Brands is releasing a new product, their new protein bites, which will be available at 176 Dick’s Sporting Goods nationwide and online on their official website.
“We have just launched nationally, our McCaffrey Brands Protein Bites,” says McCaffrey. “They’ve only been around for a couple of months. We launched right before the Super Bowl, and I had a bunch of bags of them to show you, but I’m on vacation with my friends, and they ate them all. They took them and ate them this morning before I could use them for the show.”
McCaffrey explains they’re non-GMO, plant-based protein snacks that are the “greatest tasting healthy” snacks you’ll ever try.
“They’re gluten-free, non-GMO, plant-based protein snacks, which might have made you already stop listening,” says McCaffrey while smiling. “But if I told you you could be healthy eating birthday cake, fudge brownie, and chocolate chip cookie dough, you’d think I was crazy. But these are, I promise you, the greatest tasting healthy snacks you will find anywhere on the planet.”
DJ Siddiqi
