The Denver Broncos had a productive offseason, signing three big-name players in free agency and drafting seven more. We've heard from the Broncos' new free-agent signings how pivotal Bo Nix was in the team's recruiting process, especially from safety Talanoa Hufanga.
"Even talking to [new Broncos LB] Dre [Greenlaw], he was my locker partner at the Niners, and then we came here together, we were like 'Man, when you got a quarterback that can go out there and really play, as a defense, you know it's just not three and out,'" Hufanga detailed back in May. "He's the reason."
Broncos GM George Paton and head coach Sean Payton have meticulously built the roster around Nix over the past two seasons. The front office's pitch to prospective free agents is made much easier when Paton and Payton can point to the presence of Nix and how he's turned around the Broncos' fortunes.
While he still has a long way to go in order to become the free-agent lightning rod that Peyton Manning was for the Broncos, Nix has become a recruiting beacon in Denver. Fast forward to last week's voluntary minicamp at Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit, and Nix was asked to take stock of that new reality.
“That’s nice of them to say, but I just let the front office do their thing. I feel like Coach Payton and George, they put together a great squad for us this year," Nix said following last Thursday's practice. "My job is to, when they get here, just make them a part of the team and help them with the transition."
By this point, Nix has been able to spend some time around his new veteran teammates, especially tight end Evan Engram. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who can't practice for a while after suffering an offseason quad injury while working out, Hufanga, and Engram have hit the ground running Denver.
"I feel like all the new guys have really bought in. They've been around, they've been getting to know everybody and we got really good pickups this offseason. I'm excited to see them play," Nix said.
Meanwhile, Hufanga has also gotten to interact with Nix this deep into the offseason, and see how the young quarterback comports himself and leads.
“Knowing him now, I’ll say real quick because I can talk about my past, just seeing how he works is one thing. [He’s the] first in line, first guy who is going to run and going to beat a lot of guys in races. He’s a guy who just wants to work," Hufanga said on Thursday.
Hufanga was injured for a good chunk of last season in San Francisco. That gave him a lot more time to watch the NFL at large, and the veteran safety took notice of how Nix bounced back from a "little shaky" start to his rookie season.
"For me, I was injured last year as well and got to watch a lot of ball. You see a guy who started off the year a little shaky, but that’s the beauty of it," Hufanga said of Nix. "He bounces back and shows up each and every week, even when things aren’t slotted in his way. Watching a guy that battles through adversity is something that I admire by watching him do it each and every day. We’ll go out there and try to do it again this year.”
As is the case each year, the Broncos roster has experienced some turnover. Gone are 2024 starters like running back Javonte Williams, linebacker Cody Barton, and punter Riley Dixon.
In their place are newcomers like rookie running back RJ Harvey, Greenlaw, and sixth-round punter Jeremy Crawshaw. And that's not to mention all the new rookie faces, including a wideout who figures to factor in greatly into Nix's inner circle in the coming years: Pat Bryant.
"It looks different out there right now," Nix said. "A few different key guys in different areas, but they’re fun to watch play football. So that's going to be good for us moving forward. I feel like we had a great offseason. We’re building something that we look forward to seeing.”
That's the vibe right now at Broncos HQ. 'We're building something.'
Based on the early returns, that construction process is looking good. With Nix and All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain II as the foundation pieces, the Broncos took a tremendous step forward last year, winning 10 games and snapping the team's heretofore eight-year playoff drought.
Next up, the Broncos want to win the AFC West for the first time since 2015. The Kansas City Chiefs stand in the way, winners of the past nine division crowns. But the Los Angeles Chargers, who swept the Broncos last year, will have something to say about the AFC West supremacy.
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The Broncos leaned heavily on their youth last year, and it paid off. The roster holes and vulnerabilities were addressed by the front office this offseason, and here pretty soon, we'll get to see how that translates to gameday.
