Is it worth it for Bo Nix to throw a few more interceptions in return for a few more TDs?

Denver Broncos QB Bo Nix has never thrown more than 12 interceptions in a season, but the midday show argues that a few more picks would be worth it if they came with a big jump in touchdowns.

Bo Nix has always protected the football well. Through his first two NFL seasons, he never threw more than 12 interceptions in a year, which is impressive for a young quarterback asked to carry as much as he has. This season, though, that caution has started to look like hesitation.

Through four games, Nix has rarely pushed the ball downfield. In Sunday’s 24-14 loss to San Francisco, he completed just 1 of 9 passes thrown 10 or more yards downfield. The throws he used to make into tight windows have mostly disappeared, and the offense has felt it.

On a recent edition of “Dover and Cecil” on 104.3 The Fan, Josh Dover proposed a tradeoff.

“He’s really good at protecting the football. He’s never had more than, what 12 interceptions in a season? And that’s a really good number. If that number goes up to, let’s call it 16, maybe even 17, but his touchdown number is like, 37, 38, at that point isn’t the juice worth the squeeze?” Dover said.

The math is easy to like. Bo Nix’s career high is 29 touchdown passes, set as a rookie. Getting into the high 30s would put him among the league’s most productive passers. Four or five extra interceptions would be a fair price, especially for an offense that added Jaylen Waddle and promoted Davis Webb specifically to create more big plays.
Dover thinks fans would welcome the change.

“Aren’t we all gonna go, ‘All right! Yeah! He takes some chances! There’s some gunslinger to a guy like Bo Nix,'” Dover said.

Right now, that side of Nix’s game is missing. Defenses seem to have figured out that if they crowd the deep part of the field, Nix will check down rather than test the coverage. That makes the offense predictable, puts it behind the sticks, and has contributed to the slow starts that have defined Denver’s season.

Dover was clear about where he stands.

“He has none of that right now. But, if he added that to his game, and there was some more gunslinger element to what Bo is, and it resulted in more touchdowns, but a few more turnovers, I am more than okay. In fact I encourage that,” Dover said.

That doesn’t mean Nix should start forcing throws. It means trusting his arm and his receivers when the window is small but still there. Most of the league’s best quarterbacks accept some interceptions as part of the cost of attacking defenses.

The Broncos are 2-2, with the Chargers and Seahawks still left in the opening six-game stretch. With Waddle, Courtland Sutton and Pat Bryant to throw to, Bo Nix has the weapons to take more chances. Dover thinks it’s time he started.

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