Bo Nix described by teammates as ‘really mature’ and having ‘an aura about himself’

DENVER — Bo Nix worked through three weeks of organized team activities before Courtland Sutton showed up to catch passes at the Denver Broncos mandatory minicamp this week. Then Sutton then got just two days with the Broncos’ new quarterback before Sean Payton called off the minicamp after just two days.

But that relatively brief time together allowed Nix to make a lasting impression on Sutton.

“For a rookie, he has an aura about himself,” Sutton said at the UCHealth Healthy Swings charity event at Coors Field this week. “He carries himself in a way that you kind of expect quarterbacks to carry themselves.”

What’s more, Sutton — who began his career with former first-round Paxton Lynch in the building and saw the team select Drew Lock in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft — doesn’t see a quarterback shirking from the burden of franchise hope that first-round quarterbacks typically carry.

That’s exacerbated in Denver given the team’s struggles at quarterback — and overall — since its Super Bowl 50 win eight years ago. The Broncos have the NFL’s second-longest playoff drought, and Nix walks in with the expectation of being a primary force to change that.

“I think Bo is embracing where he is,” Sutton said. “I think he is embracing the expectations that come with being a first-round pick [at] quarterback.

“He’s not wearing it as a burden. He’s carrying it with a lot of pride and he carries himself with a lot of maturity. That was, like, the first thing I noticed about him was his maturity level and how he’s carrying himself.”

Courtland Sutton likes what he sees in Bo Nix so far:

“He’s a very mature individual. … He has an aura about himself. … He carries himself in a way that you kind of expect quarterbacks to carry themselves.” pic.twitter.com/1LLEnO5Wfv

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) June 13, 2024

That maturity stood out to defensive end Zach Allen, as well.

“Yeah, I think he’s really mature,” Allen said. “Obviously, for a rookie, the way that he just conducts himself on and off the field is really impressive.

And he’s just a great guy, great player, and that’s all you can ask for.”

And then there is the actual on-field work for Bo Nix.

“Obviously it’s early, and I won’t say I’m a genius at quarterback play, so I’m not going to act like I know what I’m looking at, but there’s definitely some throws that are really impressive,” Allen said. “I’m excited to see kind of how things play out.”

Sutton sees something similar.

“I think he’s gonna surprise a lot of people,” he said.