Former Auburn Tigers/Oregon Ducks football star Bo Nix has shed the no-nonsense attitude he had during his collegiate career and rookie season with the Denver Broncos this offseason, showing more personality and being comfortable in the locker room.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler believes that will pay dividends in helping the team fix their biggest problem from last year: slow starts.
"So, the Broncos have really urged Bo Nix and the offense get off to a stronger start," Fowler said during Sunday's SportsCenter, per Bleacher Report. "Last two years, slow starts coming out of the gate have plagued the offense a little bit. They want to make sure they're primed and ready for the playoffs in December, not scrambling to get in. Last year, they faced a ton of tough defenses early on. So, they want Nix to come out firing early in the season. But they feel like this offseason he showed more of his personality. He's somewhat of a semi-serious guy, especially coming into the league he wanted the job and to be the guy. Now, he's more personable around the quarterback room. He looks like a quarterback going into Year 2 that is fully confident, knows exactly what he's doing."
Nix led the Broncos to the postseason during his rookie season, proving to be the 2024 draft class's second-best rookie QB behind Jayden Daniels.
Granted, Denver bowed out of the playoffs spectacularly against the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round. But that leaves room for growth that Daniels doesn't have as the Washington Commanders face the very real possibility of regression in 2025.
Regardless of his standing amongst his peers, Nix is being better than he was last year as the Broncos' lead voice behind head coach Sean Payton.
That's the kind of victories every NFL player should strive for every offseason.