ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Bo Nix stood near the edge of the Broncos' practice field and flashed a smile.
A reporter had just lobbed a question to Denver's quarterback, who made his official return to practice on Tuesday, about the potential lasting impact of Nix's ankle injury on his mobility.
"Well, my concern is they say it's back healthy, as good as new, and I hadn't really been like that in a couple years," Nix quipped. "So, my concern is maybe moving around a little bit better."
The Broncos' third-year quarterback, who suffered the injury late in Denver's Divisional Round win over the Bills, returned to individual work on Tuesday for the first time this offseason. He threw passes to teammates, and he said he could be "full-go right now if they wanted me to." Head Coach Sean Payton, who has emphasized throughout the offseason that the team would be smart with Nix's return, reiterated that Nix will improve to a full participant when the team returns to training camp later this summer.
"He's doing well," Payton said. "He's doing really well. … It's good to have him out here in uniform."
Nix said his doctors told him his ankle "looks good as new," and he stressed he'll be "just fine" for the upcoming year.
"I feel really confident in myself and my training, and this will not hinder me at all," Nix said.
As a healthy Nix approaches his third season in the NFL, he does so with increased confidence born from January's playoff win over the Bills.
Nix threw for three touchdowns and nearly 300 yards as he helped deliver the first fourth-quarter comeback and game-winning drive of his postseason career. In his first home playoff start, he engineered a go-ahead drive in the final moments of regulation before guiding the Broncos to a game-winning field goal in overtime.
"Once you win a playoff game, you really feel like you can do anything, especially with the team that we have coming back," Nix said. "We feel very confident that we can start winning these playoff games and host [games] for longer. So, it builds your confidence in a way that you can't get anywhere else. Just from my experience to be able to play in a game like that, and not [just] win comfortably, but have to play later in the game, and then have to go into overtime. It's a challenge, but like I said, the pressure, it's a privilege. I just really enjoy it, and I really enjoy being in those positions, and I really enjoy having the football at the end of the game."
Nix will aim to return to those high-stakes moments in 2026, and Denver's signal caller has a history of bouncing back following injury. In high school, Nix returned from an ankle injury to win a state championship at Pinson Valley High School. During his collegiate career, he returned from a 2021 injury to account for 43 touchdowns and more than 4,000 yards while leading Oregon to 10 wins. As he nears the start of Year 3 in Denver, he again holds championship aspirations.
"When I had an ankle injury in high school, we won the state championship," Nix said. "When I had an ankle injury in college, we went and won a lot of games at Oregon. Now, I expect it to be the same thing. For me, it's just another bump in the road."
