The Denver Broncos put their front office under the microscope with a bold selection in the NFL Draft. Rather than kicking the quarterback can down the road, Denver reached for their next signal-caller with the No. 12 pick, drafting Oregon standout Bo Nix. He was the sixth QB off the board in 12 picks, setting an NFL record and landing Sean Payton his next muse.
Famed for his productive partnership with Drew Brees in New Orleans, Payton was never able to attain much synergy with Russell Wilson among those frosty Colorado peaks. Now the Broncos turn over a new leaf, all but officially handing the reins to Nix. Payton was the driving force behind the pick, unsurprisingly, with reports citing the coach’s extreme faith in the Ducks’ Heisman runner-up.
Nix completed 77.4 percent of his passes as a senior for 4,508 yards, 45 touchdowns, and three interceptions. He operated in an extremely QB-friendly system — not to mention the defense-optional Pac 12 — but it’s impossible to deny Nix’s football I.Q. and unrivaled experience. He started five seasons between two Power Five programs (Auburn and Oregon). It took Nix a while to pop in the NFL radar, sure, but he threw more passes and experienced more pressure than all of his 2024 draft peers.
Now, the pressure is on the Broncos front office to help Nix deliver at the next level. Right now, the WR room is exceedingly weak following Jerry Jeudy’s departure for Cleveland. With Courtland Sutton also tossed around in rumors, Denver is about to place far too much faith in Nix’s Oregon running mate (and the Broncos’ No. 102 overall pick) Troy Franklin. Counting on a rookie QB and an inexperienced WR room generally does not end well.
Beyond the pass-catching corps, Denver also needs to address the offensive line. Over at Bleacher Report, Alex Kay has the perfect trade pitch to bolster the Broncos’ pass protection and make life easier on Nix.
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Grading Broncos-Steelers trade to land Nate Herbig next to Bo Nix in Denver
This is a fairly low-stakes move for both sides. As Kay lays out, it is a highly prudent move for the Broncos, who are reeling to find depth at the center position after Lloyd Cushenberry departed for the Tennessee Titans in free agency.
“The current in-house replacement options for Cushenberry aren’t great. Without striking up a deal for a veteran, Denver will be left picking between inexperienced young players like Luke Wattenberg and Alex Forsyth or a failed former starter in Sam Mustipher. This isn’t the type of talent a club wants snapping for a rookie and could be upgraded with a small move on the trade market. Nate Herbig would make sense for the Broncos as a cost-effective, experienced center who is still relatively youthful with upside. Acquiring him for the Pittsburgh Steelers could position the club to develop Herbig alongside Nix for years to come.”
Herbig entered the NFL in 2019 as an undrafted free agent. The Stanford product has 61 appearances (30 starts) under his belt, having spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, and Pittsburgh Steelers. He is under contract for one more season with a $5.46 million cap hit.
The Steelers move off the 25-year-old to clear the runway for other young talent on the roster. Meanwhile, Denver pays a dirt-cheap price for a potential rental with the upside to be more than that, depending on Herbig’s performance this upcoming season. If he delivers as the Broncos’ starting center, Herbig is only one year older than Nix. There’s a chance for those two to grow together and contribute for a long time. A future extension shouldn’t break the bank.
Good NFL front offices win on the margins. Denver put a lot of faith in Bo Nix with the No. 12 pick, but that pick is destined to fail if the roster around him isn’t up to snuff. This sort of small trade could mean the difference between a productive rookie campaign for Nix, and one in which he struggles under constant duress.
Nix’s game is predicated on making his progressions and standing tall in the pocket. He has the mobility to wander outside the hash marks and improvise when needed, but Nix doesn’t have the outlier arm strength or live-wire athleticism to thrive under persistent pressure. He’s a quick decision-maker, but even the sharpest QBs need time to survey the field and make their reads. If Nix always has a hand in his face, he’s going to fall apart before he ever gets a chance to succeed.
Pittsburgh doesn’t get much out of this, aside from dumping Herbig’s contract and cleaning up the depth chart. Sometimes that is necessary, though. Denver emerges as the real winner, assuming Herbig can outperform the value of a seventh-round pick — not exactly the hardest mountain to climb.
Broncos grade: A
Steelers grade: C+
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