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The Denver Broncos are back on the football field for the first time since losing the AFC championship game to New England with Bo Nix watching from a suite with his right ankle surgically repaired and in a cast.
Nix is still sidelined after a second procedure on his right ankle, but was on the field Thursday, throwing some passes but mostly watching backups Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger add offseason acquisition Jaylen Waddle to the offense.
“He’s had a good week,” coach Sean Payton said of Waddle, the speedy receiver the Broncos acquired in a trade with the Miami Dolphins this spring. “He’s someone who learns things very quickly. He had a very good day yesterday and you can feel his instincts, his quickness and his ability to not only run fast but also stop quickly.”
Waddle is expected to work with Nix when the Broncos hold minicamp in two weeks.
“I mean, you don’t see (Nix) in pre-practice, but he’s been pitching and I think in our third week… you’ll see a bigger role,” Payton said.
The Broncos were the last team to take the field during their offseason training program, which for them consisted of indoor workouts until Tuesday, when they embarked on football drills.
Prior to working on his chemistry with Nix, Waddle has been developing a good relationship with his No. 1 receiver counterpart, Courtland Sutton.
“Yeah, it’s been fun,” Sutton said. “Getting to see him up close, he’s a special guy… He’s got some qualities that only he can have… He’s got tremendous speed. His combined speed and acceleration are top-notch. His understanding of the offense, his understanding of football… his running after the catch is top-notch.”
Waddle said he envisions him and Sutton making a big 1-2 punch.
“Courtland is an elite playmaker,” Waddle said. “Any time you have an elite playmaker on the other side, it just makes it easy, someone the defense has to go after and vice versa.”
While he is eager to work with Nix on the field, it is evident that the two have already begun to develop chemistry.
“Bo is definitely a competitor, he loves talking ball, he loves being around the guys,” Waddle said. “I think he’s a great leader. I can see his traits day to day and if he sees something, he’ll tell me and then we’ll discuss each other’s ideas, try to get on the same page as best we can.”
Raise to Surtain
The Broncos gave star cornerback Pat Surtain II a $5 million raise this season through a contract adjustment. Surtain can also earn another $5 million if he is selected All-Pro or Pro Bowl. He is a two-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler.
“He’s obviously someone we consider elite and at the top of his position,” Payton said. “And part of that is the salary cap and how it fluctuates and moves, especially over the last three years.”
The Broncos finally got out of the record $85 million cap hit they incurred by releasing Russell Wilson, allowing them to make moves like they did with Surtain.
“It feels good,” Payton said. “Look, it’s important. It’s hard to do that with dead money and when you do it with a record amount, it’s a credit to everyone, the young players, the coaches, the scouts, and so I don’t know if anyone can feel it or see it, but it certainly exists when it comes to your budget.”
Surtain, the ninth overall pick in the 2021 draft, has a dozen interceptions and 59 pass deflections in his five professional seasons.
Surtain is entering the first season of a four-year, $96 million extension he signed in 2024, which at the time made him the highest-paid cornerback in the league based on average annual salary. He has since been surpassed by Jaycee Horn, Trent McDuffie, Sauce Gardner, Derek Stingley Jr. and Jalen Ramsey.
Difficult initial stretch
The Broncos open the season with a tough six-game stretch, starting with a game at Kansas City followed by five weeks of games against 2025 playoff teams, but Payton said he doesn’t think the league was being punitive.
When asked if he had upset anyone in the league office, Payton responded: “No, that happened a long time ago.”
Payton was suspended for the entire 2012 NFL season due to his involvement in the New Orleans Saints “Bountygate” scandal.
After a visit to Kansas City, the Broncos host the Jacksonville Jaguars and Los Angeles Rams before visiting the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Chargers. After that, they will host the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.
“We’ll see soon where we are,” Waddle said.
Associated Press information.
