Broncos leader Bo Nix at a curious spot on new QB Power Rankings list

Denver Broncos QB Bo Nix was sixth in the NFL in touchdown passes a season ago with 29.

He was 12th in the league in yards, throwing for nearly 3,800 of them.

And he did both of those things as a rookie.

Nix also led the Broncos to the playoffs for the first time since 2015 with a 10-7 record. Yes, Denver’s defense had a great year, but Nix is clearly the team’s best quarterback since Peyton Manning called it a career.

That’s what makes the list that Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports put out earlier this week a curious one. He wrote Power Rankings of the projected 32 starting QBs in the league after the NFL Draft.

Benjamin has Nix at 15th on this list, behind the likes of Brock Purdy (10th), C.J. Stroud (13th) and Dak Prescott (14th).

“Was (Bo Nix) shielded from heavy passing workloads early on? Sure. By the end of his rookie year, though, he brought a ton of sizzle as a play-extending captain for Sean Payton’s offense,” Benjamin writes.

First of all, the statement that Nix was “shielded from heavy passing workloads early” isn’t accurate. He threw 42 passes in his NFL debut against the Seahawks. Then, in Weeks 2 and 3 against the Steelers and Buccaneers, Nix attempted at least 35 throws each game.

His success wasn’t great in those contests, throwing zero touchdown passes combined, but to say he didn’t sling the rock is simply wrong.

Bo Nix definitely got better as the season went on, which Benjamin tried to say in a clumsy way. Still, there’s really not a world where he’s the 15th best QB in the NFL right now. You can easily make a case Nix should be top-10 if not t0p-12.

And what makes this list even more wild is that the top quarterback isn’t Patrick Mahomes (6th), Lamar Jackson (4th), Josh Allen (5th) or Joe Burrow (3rd). Benjamin gives that honor to Jayden Daniels of the Commanders while putting Eagles QB Jalen Hurts at No. 2.

Daniels showed a ton of potential as a rookie and Hurts won a Super Bowl ring by balling out in the biggest game on the planet, but very few people would rank them ahead of Mahomes, Jackson, Allen and Burrow.

Regardless, the games aren’t played via lists, they’re settled on the field.

Bo Nix appears to have been disrespected in these Power Rankings, something that will change quickly if (when?) he has a big second-year in the league.

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