ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Broncos' veteran wide receiver knows his quarterback well.
Over the last two seasons, Courtland Sutton and Bo Nix have served alongside each other as team captains — and they'll do so again in 2026. The pair connected in 2024 for Nix's first career touchdown pass, and Sutton has caught 164 passes for more than 2,000 yards across the regular season and playoffs from Denver's signal-caller.
On countless third downs over the last two years, that chemistry and trust has been evident.
And as the Broncos approach their regular-season opener against the Chiefs, Sutton shared insight into Nix's mindset as he nears a return to game action.
"Mentally, you can tell that he's like, 'I'm ready to go do this,'" Sutton said Wednesday.
Two-hundred-and-forty days will have passed between Nix's injury in the Divisional Round against the Bills and Monday's opener in Kansas City, and Sutton said Nix's eagerness to get back on the field is evident.
"He's a competitor, now," Sutton said. "… I'm looking forward to watching him go out there. … He's like a mountain lion that's in the zoo that's just pacing. I saw a mountain lion at the Colorado zoo. He was just pacing back and forth, and I was like, 'Y'all don't want that boy to get out. It's not going to be good.' That's what Bo reminds me of."
Presented with Sutton's comparison, Nix agreed with his teammate's assessment — and shared the level of excitement for the season opener to arrive.
"I'm just excited to get out there," Nix said. "I feel like I'm pacing and feel like I've been in this practice schedule for a long time. It's exciting to go out there and play another team. It's really exciting, and I know that our guys are going to respond well. I feel like I have a great group with me that I'm going in here with. I can't wait."
Cornerback Pat Surtain II credited the work Nix put in as he rehabbed the injury, and he believes the Broncos' quarterback looks even sharper than he did at the end of his second season.
"I just know from going to work with him each and every day, his mindset is he's ready to show the world what he's about," Surtain said. "Not that he already [hasn't] in years past, but he's just ready to make a statement. You can just tell with the poise and the leadership he has on the field, it definitely dictates what we do as a team. It speaks volumes [about] the type of competitor he is. He's going to be ready."
Nix certainly has been in the early stages of his career. The Broncos' quarterback is 6-1 (.857) in prime-time games, which is tied for the best win percentage for any quarterback with at least five starts since 2000.
In his return to game action — against a division rival, no less — Nix will have an opportunity to earn another critical win.
"It doesn't get old," Nix said of playing on Monday night. "It's very exciting. It means that you are in a really good spot as an organization, but it's also a great responsibility. You get put on 'Monday Night Football' in Week 1, it means you have something to go out there and prove. We're excited as a team. It's going to be a really big challenge, but one that we are going to respond well to. We just have to go out there and play really hard."
