Broncos urged to bench rookie QB Bo Nix

The Bo Nix era began with a whimper, viz Denver Broncos Struggled out to an 0-2 start. Nix threw four interceptions with zero touchdown passes, though he did rush for one score in Week 1.

Rockies QB rating through two games? 51.35.

Broncos head coach Sean Payton raised some eyebrows around the NFL when he named the Knicks the starter, opting to go through the growing pains of Jarrett Stidham or top-2 draft bust Jack Wilson as a journeyman option. ForbesVincent Frank believes Payton made a glaring mistake and called for the Broncos to bench the Knicks after two games.

“At this point, the Broncos must promote Stidham or Wilson to the starting job. In my opinion, Wilson should get the nod. He's still young. He could offer some trade value if the quarterback performs at a high level.

“Until the Knicks gain more experience in practice and the Broncos actually add more skill-position talent, he shouldn't be seen on the field again. They've invested heavily in him to continue the path we've seen from other teams with young quarterbacks. Recent the past” Written by Vincent.

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Ouch. Vincent is banging his knees so hard his teeth might be missing.

That's not to diminish the Broncos' miserable showing under Knicks, but Vincent's approach is completely lacking. There's a reason teams are reluctant to start a rookie quarterback: Once you cross that ocean, you have no choice but to burn the boats.

For better or worse, the Broncos now have to weather this storm with Knicks at the helm, knowing he'll have to take his lumps, navigate his NFL trial-and-error learning curve and find his professional footing. Hopefully at some point, the guys around him will rise to the occasion and help alleviate some of the pressure — all of which is now too much weight on the Knicks' shoulders.

If the Broncos were to bench Knicks, it certainly wouldn't protect his confidence as Vincent half-heartedly argues in his article. Quite the opposite, really. That would destroy the Knicks' confidence, and NFL history tells us that it's a rare bird who goes from first-round pick to one-day quarterback, to the bench, and still finds a way to succeed.

No; The Broncos are pennies on the Knicks, on the dollar. The only way is through. That's when Payton's veteran intelligence and intelligence should, apparently, mitigate the rookie's struggles and level the playing field a bit.

Instead, Payton is as involved as anyone in the failure to get the Broncos going so far. From highly questionable play-calling to complete indifference to playing time and pulling a slumper for a hot hand to deciding to fumble on fourth down, the Broncos' head coach has absolutely flummoxed fans and the media for two weeks.

On Monday, Payton was adamant that the Knicks' confidence hasn't waned, though. The veteran coach is trying to find the right play-calling flow and personnel mix to help the Knicks get the offense out of this slump.

One of the traits of Knicks that attracted the Broncos was his resilience and resilience to fight through setbacks and resumes to overcome adversity. His torrid start at Auburn was punctuated by a whimper after the Tigers' head-coaching change-over, and it would have been easy for Knicks to give up the ghost and follow his father, Patrick, into coaching.

But that's not the cloth this kid is cut from. Nix transferred to Oregon, where he went on to set records. His resilience and confidence were his two big draws for the Broncos.

And it may interest Mr. Vincent to know that “somehow” the Broncos are giving up the white flag and sitting the Knicks through the 2024 season. Even if the Broncos waive the white flag after two datgum games, they'll only be insulting him by hitting the bench.

2024 will be a developmental year for the Knicks. There was hope that the Broncos could compete while the rookie learned on the hooves, but an $80 million dead-cap charge on the salary cap prevented the team from adding ideal free-agent personnel. However, that situation will improve greatly next year, but no one, including the Broncos, is ready to turn the page on 2025 just yet.

“He went through a firestorm, if you will. You're better prepared, you're better served when it comes down to it,” Payton said Monday of the Knicks. “By no means, we're in that position right now. Obviously, we would have liked to start better, but my point is he is someone who I think is naturally confident in his preparation, his ability and not easily discouraged.

However, Caleb Williams' start in Chicago has been as lackluster as the Knicks. That's not to absolve Payton or the Knicks of the lack of production thus far, but it does illustrate how it takes time for a rookie quarterback to find his footing regardless of where he's picked in the first round.

“I have good confidence,” Nix said after the Broncos' ugly 13-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. “I think I'm going to keep getting better and look in the mirror and see what I can do and evaluate myself. I think it's important to look at it from a bigger perspective… so my confidence is bigger than football. Bigger than wins and losses, Make no mistake about it—I'm going out there competing, trying to win every game for this team behind me because they seem to deserve it and the level is going to continue to rise the more you play.”

I don't think anyone at Broncos HQ is ready to call it a season or pull the plug on the Knicks era.