Bo Nix Will Sit Out Broncos’ Preseason Opener as Ankle Recovery Enters Final Stretch

Bo Nix won’t play when the Denver Broncos open their preseason slate against the Atlanta Falcons on Friday, but the plan is for the third-year quarterback to be back on the field for Denver’s final two exhibition games. Head coach Sean Payton confirmed the decision Wednesday, and it lines up with what Nix has been saying all camp: the ankle isn’t holding him back anymore.

The move is about location as much as caution. According to Yahoo Sports, Nix will travel with the team to Atlanta but stay on the sideline at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which has an artificial turf surface. His preseason debut instead comes at Empower Field at Mile High, on natural grass, when Denver hosts the Green Bay Packers on Aug. 21. He’s also expected to see action the following week against the Minnesota Vikings.

Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger will split reps at quarterback Friday night against Atlanta.

What the Ankle Injury Actually Was

Nix fractured his right ankle on the second-to-last play of overtime in Denver’s 33-30 divisional-round win over the Buffalo Bills in January, an injury that knocked him out for the rest of the playoffs. Backup Jarrett Stidham started the AFC Championship Game in his place, and the Broncos fell to the New England Patriots, 10-7, at home. New England went on to lose Super Bowl LX to Seattle.

Nix had surgery to repair the fracture shortly after the injury, then needed a second procedure in April to clean up bone spurs in the same ankle. That second surgery limited him through much of the offseason program and cut into his reps at mandatory minicamp in June, ClutchPoints reports.

None of that has shown up at training camp. Nix has taken every practice rep since camp opened, matching last year’s workload, and coaches have not limited his mobility.

“I feel great,” Nix said, via NFL.com. “I feel normal. Nothing’s holding me back. I’m out there playing like I normally do and feel really good in my spot.” He added that he expects to run the ball as freely as ever: “Absolutely not,” Nix said when asked if the ankle would limit him. “I’m going to roll, and I’m going to be as athletic as I can be. It’s a strength of ours and we have to use our strengths.”

Engram Sees a Quarterback Still Climbing

Tight end Evan Engram, who caught 50 passes for 461 yards and a touchdown in his first season catching passes from Nix, has watched that same drive up close all offseason. Speaking to NFL Network, Engram made clear he thinks Nix is far from finished developing, ankle or no ankle.

“He’s constantly trying to improve,” Engram said. “He’s constantly wanting to be better. He’s only year three, but he’s very mature. He’s very smart, he just knows ball. He’s a gamer and obviously there’s a lot of things he wants to improve on, little details within his game, but his mindset alone is going to take him really far in this league.”

NFL Network posted video of the comments on X: “The sky’s the limit for him” — Evan Engram on his QB Bo Nix heading into his 3rd season —

"The sky's the limit for him" 👀@eazyengram on his QB Bo Nix heading into his 3rd season@MarcRoss | @OmarDRuiz | @Broncos pic.twitter.com/z2MWVrFoyh

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) August 12, 2026

Engram closed with the same read a lot of people around the Broncos facility share right now: “You saw what he’s capable of last year, and I think the sky’s the limit for him, and he’s looking to improve on that for sure.”

The Case for Nix’s Ceiling — and Where He Still Has Work to Do

The record backs up the confidence. Denver has gone 25-11, including the playoffs, since Nix took over as the starter, a 69.4% win rate. The Broncos reached the postseason in each of his two seasons after missing it eight years running, won the AFC West outright in 2025, and finished that regular season 14-3 — the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

Nix has also put himself in rare statistical company. He’s just the third quarterback in NFL history to throw for at least 3,500 yards and 25 touchdowns in each of his first two seasons, joining Peyton Manning and Justin Herbert. Among the six first-round quarterbacks from the 2024 draft class, Nix leads the group in team wins, passing touchdowns, rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns.

That last row points to where the improvement Engram is talking about needs to show up. Nix completed just 44.1% of his throws that traveled 10 or more air yards last season and only 36.1% on throws of 20-plus air yards — numbers that explain why his completion percentage over expectation ranked in the bottom third of the league. Denver’s offense has leaned on Nix’s mobility and short-to-intermediate accuracy to manufacture points; stretching the field more consistently on deep balls is the next step if he wants to close the gap between “very good” and “elite.”

What’s Next: A Contract Decision Looms

Nix is entering the third season of his four-year rookie deal, with a club option for 2028 still in Denver’s back pocket. That gives the Broncos some runway, but the bigger question — whether Nix is worth a market-setting extension — will start to take shape based on how he performs, and stays healthy, in 2026. Nothing about a contract is close to official, and any numbers floated publicly should be read as speculation until Denver or Nix’s camp says otherwise.