Nix Still Questionable as Training Camp Opens, and Denver Has No Good Answer Behind Him

Bo Nix came into this offseason ranked 59th on the NFL's Top 100 — a modest number for a quarterback who threw for 4,210 yards and 28 touchdowns in his first full season. The shoulder surgery in June was supposed to be a speed bump. It has become something else. His status remains Questionable heading into camp, which means the franchise quarterback of a team that went 14-3 last year is currently third on his own depth chart.

That depth chart is the uncomfortable part. Jarrett Stidham is the listed starter right now, with Sam Ehlinger behind him. Neither is a viable long-term answer, and neither changes what Denver needs to be offensively. The Broncos built their identity around Nix running and throwing in rhythm — 385 rushing yards, five rushing touchdowns on top of the passing numbers — and that is not a system you replicate with a backup. If Nix misses meaningful time into the preseason, Denver will be improvising with weapons that deserve better.

The broader problem is that the 14-3 record already had a fragile foundation. Denver won more close games last year than their point differential really justified, and that kind of fortune tends to correct itself. The margin for error heading into 2027 was already thin before the shoulder setback. A Nix who is less than full strength — or who misses early reps and rhythm — makes a regression year considerably more likely.

My read: the next two weeks matter more than Denver would like to admit. If Nix is not throwing freely by the time real camp work begins, this stops being a health story and starts being a roster construction emergency. They have the weapons. Right now they do not have certainty about the person throwing to them.