ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — After winning 14 games, securing the AFC West crown and earning the AFC's No. 1 seed, Bo Nix knows the Broncos will face a tougher challenge in 2026.
Due to the success Denver enjoyed a year ago, Nix said this year's Broncos will be the target for a number of other teams. But as Denver nears the regular season, Nix believes the team is up to the challenge.
"We want to be [on] the biggest stage, playing the best competition, leading a team to hopefully go win a Super Bowl," Nix said Monday. "I'm just excited to where we've built it and we've got it to where we can compete on any level at all times. That doesn't make it any easier. As a matter of fact, it makes it tougher. Because now we have a target on our back. But at the same time, I think we're willing and able to defend that target."
Nix reiterated that the Broncos' path to those goals starts again, and he echoed Head Coach Sean Payton's message about the proverbial race beginning again.
"At the end of the day, when you look at our season and how we ended last year, moving forward, we know we're not going to be able to start where we left off," Nix said. "We have to completely start over. We have to start a new season, start 0-0 and go from there. I think it goes back to us having a great player-led team, a veteran group and guys that have played together for several years. Not a whole lot of new. Not many new faces. A lot of returning guys. When you have that, that's just, in my opinion, where you build a good culture and you start competing at a high level and things work out for you."
That continuity and experience has led Nix to believe in what the Broncos can accomplish as they renew their chase for a world championship.
"It's going to be tough," Nix said, "but I also think we're battle-tested and we're going to be ready for it."
WEBB'S PERSPECTIVE
The Broncos are just days away from their first preseason game, and Payton said he has "the same vision" as Offensive Coordinator Davis Webb for where he'll call plays on game day.
Webb noted Saturday that he'd prefer to call plays from field level, and Payton said while the two have yet to speak on the decision, he expects Webb to be on the field.
"That's probably where he'll be with his communication and the QBs," Payton said.
Webb spent the previous two seasons on the sidelines with Nix, and the Broncos' quarterback said Monday that he was excited for Webb to remain in that setting.
"I've always loved it from a quarterback to a play caller when they're on the sideline with me," Nix said. "I feel like they get the feel of the game a little bit differently. It's obviously seeing the game from a different vantage point, but I think they get to feel the emotions on the sideline. They get to feel the comments from us coming off the [field], what we're seeing and all that kind of stuff. From his point of view and playing quarterback his whole career, I think that's just where he feels comfortable. A lot of former quarterbacks like to call it from the sideline. I don't know why that's the case, but that just seems to be how play-callers roll. I like when the play-caller is there with me and I can come off and have the eye-to-eye conversation. We can sit down and look at the pictures and go through them together and really get to hear from him and not have to call up to the [booth] or get on a headset.
"I think the eye-to-eye communication is really important, so I'm excited that he's going to be down there with us."
THE PRESEASON PLAN
Just as they have in the previous three years, the Broncos' starters are poised to see preseason reps.
"I think it's hard to replicate it, and every year everyone talks about it," Payton said of the importance of the preseason. "You have to build a callus, I just believe in that. Now there's some [players] maybe based on injury or where they're at, we might hold back, but generally we're going to want to play them some in the first game, a little bit more in the second and then we'll see where we're at in the third."
Payton said the team hasn't gone through specific roles for players, but he expects the group to play. Asked specifically about Nix's participation, Payton said he would update the media following the conversation about those roles.
"You get these three games to kind of prepare yourself for the season to start," kicker Wil Lutz said. "... When Week 1 comes around, you're rolling. You don't have time to knock off any rust when that starts."
