Sean Payton’s ex-backup QB: ‘A lot of Drew Brees’ in how Bo Nix operates Broncos offense

Bo Nix and his fellow Denver Broncos quarterbacks had a visitor last Thursday: former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel, a veteran of 14 seasons in the NFL spent almost entirely as a backup. Five of those campaigns were with the New Orleans Saints while Sean Payton was their head coach; another two were with the Los Angeles Chargers while current Broncos offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi held the same position. there.

Put simply, Daniel knows what he’s looking at when he examines Payton’s offense — and the skill set required to succeed within it as a quarterback.

And Daniel didn’t hesitate to make the comparison that is the period that ends all sentences when it comes to running Payton’s offense.

“Just watching Bo Nix on film, the way he operates the offense, the way he gets in and out of the huddle, the way he’s able to get through progressions already at a clip, that reminds me a lot of Drew Brees and the way he operates the offense,” Daniel said when he joined Mark Schlereth and Mike Evans on 104.3 The Fan.

“So, it’s really cool to see that.”

.@ChaseDaniel joined @markschlereth & @MikeEvans1043 on @DenSports1043 noted the ways in which Bo Nix reminds him of Drew Brees:

"The way he operates the offense, the way he gets in & out of the huddle, the way he's able to get through progressions already at a clip, that… pic.twitter.com/f7ewPg1lsB

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) August 20, 2024

And Daniel believes that Nix has already shown progress in setting up his receivers for opportunities.

“I do think he’s throwing guys open already,” Daniel said. “I do think he has a really good clock in the head and I do think that comes from Davis Webb, Sean Payton, Joe Lombardi, Pete Carmichael saying, ‘Hey, we don’t want to take sacks, we don’t want to turn the ball over. If we do that, we’re going to be pretty good on offense.'”

That being said, patience will still be required, Daniel noted.

“It’s going to take some time,” he said.

CAN THE PRESEASON FORM OF BO NIX TRANSLATE TO THE REGULAR SEASON?

That is a valid question, considering that all of the game-day repetitions for Bo Nix came against backups. His only work against another club’s first team was during the joint practice with the Green Bay Packers last Friday.

“I get it. This is against backups and this is preseason, but you want to be able to start really well,” Daniel said.

“If you remember, man, I think it was 2016 when Dak Prescott was coming out [with the Dallas Cowboys]. He had an unbelievable preseason and it was against backups, but he continued to build on that [in his] rookie season and had one of the better rookie seasons I think that a young quarterback’s had in a long time.

“Now, I’m not saying Bo Nix is going to be able to do that, but it’s fun to see on film the progression, even from his first practice now to his second game.”

THE MINDSET OF SEAN PAYTON AS DANIEL SEES IT

The result of this — and the overall reshaping of the roster — is a re-energized Sean Payton, asserts Daniel.

“It is fascinating to hear Sean talk about a rookie quarterback like this, and I don’t think it’s just saying it to build his confidence up,” Daniel said. “I truly believe that he feels really good in this offensive staff, feels really good about Bo Nix.

“… Sean’s like, ‘Hey, we’re really young.’ He feels rejuvenated.”

Sean Payton "feels rejuvenated" this year, says @ChaseDaniel, who played for Payton, to @markschlereth & @MikeEvans1043 on @DenSports1043.

"It is fascinating to hear Sean talk about a rookie quarterback like this, & I don't think it's just saying it to build his confidence up." pic.twitter.com/VpPXJvKAD7

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) August 20, 2024

And that manifests itself in plenty of ways — including how he interacts with his team.

“I’ve known Sean for a long time. I’ve seen him in a lot of team meetings. I was in the team meeting on Thursday night before the Friday joint practice, and to hear him talk about the team, it made me feel like I wanted to go back and play,” Daniel said.

“He is that good at talking to the team, and so, he’s really rejuvenated.”