NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
The Denver Broncos are back on the football field for the first time since their AFC championship game loss to New England, with Bo Nix watching from a suite with his surgically repaired right ankle in a cast.
Nix is still sidelined following a second right ankle procedure, but he was on the field Thursday, throwing a few passes but mostly watching backups Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger integrate offseason acquisition Jaylen Waddle into the offense.
“He had a good week,” coach Sean Payton said of Waddle, the speedy receiver the Broncos acquired in a trade with the Miami Dolphins this spring. “He’s someone who picks things up very quickly. He had a really good day yesterday and you can just feel his instincts, his quickness and his ability to not only run fast but also stop fast.”
Waddle is expected to work with Nix when the Broncos hold their minicamp in two weeks.
“I mean, you don’t see (Nix) in pre-practice, but he’s throwing and I think in our third week … you’ll see more of a role,” Payton said.
The Broncos were the last team to take the field during their offseason training program, which for them consisted of indoor workouts until Tuesday, when they launched into football drills.
Before working on his chemistry with Nix, Waddle developed a relationship with his No. 1 receiver counterpart Courtland Sutton.
“Yeah, it’s been fun,” Sutton said. “Being able to see him up close, he’s a special guy. … He’s got skills that only he can do. … He’s got tremendous speed. His speed and acceleration are top-notch. His understanding of the offense, his understanding of the football… his running after the catch is top-notch.”
Waddle said he figured he and Sutton would deliver a great 1-2 punch.
“Courtland is an elite playmaker,” Waddle said. “Anytime you have an elite playmaker on the other side, it makes it easier, someone the defense has to look for and vice versa.”
While he’s eager to work with Nix on the field, it’s evident the two have already started to develop chemistry.
“Bo is definitely a competitor, he loves to talk, he loves to be around the guys,” Waddle said. “I think he’s a great leader. I can just see his traits day to day and if he sees something, he’s going to tell me about it and then we’re going to pick each other’s brains, try to get on the same page as best we can.”
Increase for Surtain
The Broncos gave star cornerback Pat Surtain II a $5 million raise this season through a contract adjustment. Surtain can also earn an additional $5 million if he is an All-Pro or Pro Bowl selection. He is a two-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler.
“He’s obviously someone we consider elite and at the top of his position,” Payton said. “And part of that depends on the salary cap and how it fluctuates and changes, especially over the last three years.”
The Broncos are finally out of the record $85 million cap hit they incurred by releasing Russell Wilson, allowing them to make moves like they did with Surtain.
“It feels good,” Payton said. “Look, it’s important. It’s hard to do this with dead money and when you do this with a record amount, it’s a credit to everyone, the young players, the coaches, the scouts, and so I don’t know if anyone can feel it or see it, but it certainly exists when it comes to your budget.”
The ninth overall pick in the 2021 draft, Surtain has a dozen interceptions and 59 assists in his five seasons as a professional.
Surtain is entering the first season of a four-year, $96 million extension he signed in 2024, which at the time made him the highest-paid cornerback in the league based on his average annual salary. He has since been passed by Jaycee Horn, Trent McDuffie, Sauce Gardner, Derek Stingley Jr. and Jalen Ramsey.
Difficult opening stretch
The Broncos open the season with a tough six-game stretch starting with a game at Kansas City followed by five weeks of games against 2025 playoff teams, but Payton said he doesn’t believe the league is punitive.
Asked if he had upset anyone in the league office, Payton said, “No, it happened a long time ago.”
Payton was suspended for the entire 2012 NFL season due to his involvement in the New Orleans Saints’ “Bountygate” scandal.
After a stint in Kansas City, the Broncos host the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Los Angeles Rams before visiting the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Chargers. After that, they host the Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks.
“We’ll see where we are very soon,” Waddle said.
Associated Press reporting.
