Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton clearly felt his offense needed a spark, as he took offensive playing duties away from coordinator Davis Webb before the club’s Week 5 game at the winless Los Angeles Chargers.
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix then 16-of-27 passing for 123 yards with a touchdown in Denver’s incredible 23-17 win over the Chargers. For a piece published on Wednesday, Dan Graziano of ESPN openly asked if Payton can make bolder moves if his offense continues, starting with Denver’s home game against the 3-2 Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night.
Could Sean Payton view Bo Nix as part of the problem instead of part of the solution?
“I wonder how long the Broncos will stick with Bo Nix if he not starting to play better,” Graziano wrote. “They made the playcaller change for Week 5, and this It doesn’t seem to work, so you start to wonder if the problem isn’t the plays but the player.”
A recent story said that Nix “basically became a relative pocket statue” and “became a game-manager” who came from broken bone in the right ankle that he suffered this past January. While he insist on Tuesday that he’s not playing this fall “any different than I normally play,” the numbers show that’s not the case.
According to Pro Football Reference, Nix goes into Thursday’s match ranked 25th in the NFL among qualified players with a 41.8 adjusted QBR, 26th with an 80.8 passer rating, 26th with a 59.9 completion percentage and 21st with 942 passing yards. Meanwhile, ESPN statistics show that the Broncos are 30th in the league averaging 269.0 offensive yards per game.
Why Sean Payton is unlikely to bench Bo Nix
There is currently no indication that Payton will view either backup Jarrett Stidham or QB3 Sam Ehlinger as an upgrade over Nix. Stidham started for the injured Nix in this year’s AFC Championship Game, and Stidham ended up finishing 17-of-31 passing for 133 yards with a touchdown and an interception in a 10-7 loss to Denver.
As for a possible trade, several reports were mentioned in September that no contending team will want to lose a reliable QB2 this fall. That said, Jacoby Brissett of the Arizona Cardinals can be a option before the Nov. trade deadline. 10. Maybe Payton might be interested in taking a flier on Brissett if Nix makes a stink against the reigning Super Bowl champions in front of a prime-time television audience.