What we learned at Broncos rookie minicamp: QB Bo Nix could be ready by June

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Broncos quarterback Bo Nix will be a full participant when the team begins training camp in late July and there’s “a good chance” he’ll be on the field during team’s minicamp in five weeks, coach Sean Payton said after Saturday’s minicamp practice. “We feel real good about where he’s at,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of Nix after the team’s rookie minicamp practice Saturday. “You guys will have a chance to see it here in a few weeks. Clearly, full speed by training camp. We just want to be smart relative to holding him back a little.” The update from Payton comes about two weeks after the revelation that Nix, who suffered a fractured ankle during Denver’s divisional round playoff win against the Buffalo Bills, had a follow-up procedure on the ankle that was initially operated on in late January. Payton said the second procedure, which came just before the NFL Draft last month, was an expected part of the quarterback’s overall rehab process. The coach declined to address the specifics of the follow-up procedure. Nix said in late January that the first operation repaired “a simple bone break.” “The follow-up procedure was not a surprise,” Payton said. “We had five other players who staged surgeries (this offseason) where there’s a (first) step, they evaluate and then there’s a second step. He was the sixth that went through that. No surprises. … If it were up to him, it would be earlier, but we’re going to be smart.” Payton said there is a chance Nix could return to the field in some fashion as the Broncos convene for a mandatory minicamp June 16-18. “I think there’s a good chance we see him in this offseason program,” Payton said. “We’re going to be the ones kind of holding back, if you will.” Payton said it’s possible the Broncos could bring in another quarterback for the offseason program for depth, but he added that two healthy quarterbacks (Stidham and Sam Ehlinger) would be sufficient to operate offseason practices. The Broncos have veteran Nathan Peterman and rookie tryout player E.J. Warner, son of Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, participating in the team’s rookie minicamp. It’s possible one of those players could participate in OTAs on a tryout basis — or even sign to the 90-man roster. The bottom line, though, Payton reiterated Saturday, is that it won’t be long until their starting quarterback is back on the field. Payton is typically slow to designate a young running back as a third-down weapon. One major reason: the difference between the college and pro games forces coaching and personnel staffs to make projections about how prepared a back is to pass protect when he gets to the league. There is less of that required, Payton said, with Jonah Coleman, the team’s fourth-round pick out of the University of Washington. It was clear during Saturday’s practice that the 5-foot-9, 220-pound back has the necessary physical dimensions to stand up in protection. But it was significant reps Coleman had on tape, particularly during his last two college seasons, that made the Broncos believe Coleman could be a quick study when it came to that critical aspect of the passing game. “You’re always having to project, somewhat, how’s he going to be in protection,” Payton said. “Sometimes the stature is going to limit him, period. (Coleman) had quite a bit of film, but most of the time when you’re signing a college running back, there’s going to be a learning curve with protections. … That was a strong suit when you were looking at his tape.” For his part, Coleman said his experience in the passing games on third downs — both as a protector and an accomplished receiver out of the backfield — guarantees him nothing as he begins getting a feel for Denver’s offense. “Yeah, I did a lot of pass pro in college, but I’m not in college anymore. I’m in the NFL,” Coleman said. “There’s a lot of guys who have been playing football for a long time. So just being able to take coaching and the details I need to work on is what it’s all about. Being a sponge and taking in information, having a growth mindset, knowing I can be better at everything.” Coleman said he was eager to get to Denver from the moment he heard his name called in the draft. Landing in Colorado, he said, provided a pleasant memory: an 11-carry, 179-yard rushing performance against the University of Colorado during a game in Boulder in 2023, when Coleman played for Arizona. The 22-year-old stayed in shape during the two weeks that followed the draft with boxing workouts that he says sharpen him mentally as much as physically. “It really teaches you how to think when you’re tired and when you’re exhausted,” Coleman said. “The coach is throwing these combinations at you and you’ve got to remember it. If you don’t, you ultimately get hit, and I don’t want to get hit. That’s what it’s all about, training your mind to do things that will show up in the fourth quarter, fourth-and-1, and the snap count may be on two. Just having discipline.” Payton singled out tight end Caleb Lohner as a player who stood out during the first two days of rookie minicamp. Lohner, a seventh-round pick of the Broncos in 2025, spent most of last season on the team’s practice squad, a developmental prospect who played only one season at Utah following a lengthy college basketball career. “He looks entirely different in this camp,” Payton said of Lohner, one of three Broncos who were on last year’s roster participating in the minicamp. “In fairness to him, that was a basketball prospect that had limited snaps, so one year into the program, what he’s doing, how he’s moving, everything looks entirely different. … There’s a physical aspect to how he plays.” Dallen Bentley, the tight end the Broncos drafted in the seventh round in last month’s draft, was teammates with Lohner at Utah in 2024. Back then, the 6-7, 250-pound Lohner hadn’t played a down of football before joining the Utah program for his final college season. “It’s a hard thing to never play football and step on a football field as a basketball guy,” Bentley said. “You can’t say that anymore. He’s definitely got his stuff down.” A leap for Lohner would make for an intriguing battle for depth spots in Denver’s tight end room this offseason behind veterans Evan Engram, Adam Trautman and Nate Adkins. In addition to Bentley, the Broncos also drafted former North Carolina State tight end Justin Joly in the fifth round. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms