On January 5th, against the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix completed a career-best 26 out of 29 passes, good for 89.7 percent of his passes and four touchdowns. As he cliched a playoff birth for his Broncos, the game appeared to be a signal as to what could come next week.

The stats show Sean Payton made the right call with Bo Nix. If you let Chase Daniels tell it, the Denver Broncos have found their guy for the future.

Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel is no stranger to turning heads this season after leading Oregon to an undefeated regular season and Big Ten Conference

Denver Broncos general manager George Paton raved about rookie quarterback Bo Nix and how he handled himself from the moment he walked in the door.

The 29-year-old former Bills QB was working with Bo Nix pregame. Payton said Super Bowl champion Eli Manning and others spoke highly about Webb. “He’s in that new generation, and I like it.

Same for Bo Nix, who was a five-year starter at Auburn and Oregon. Both quarterbacks led their teams to the playoffs and are among the five finalists for the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

In Denver’s second season with coach Sean Payton as the play caller, the offense made strides but there’s still more work to be done.

Former Oregon wide receiver Tez Johnson, who began his college career at Troy, is in Mobile this week for the 2025 Reese's Senior Bowl. Johnson is the adopted younger brother of former Auburn and Oregon quarterback Bo Nix, who played in the 2024 Senior Bowl and is now with the NFL's Denver Broncos. Sean Meagher/The Oregonian

The Denver Broncos have a pair of staff members working as coaches for the National Team at the Senior Bowl. Under head coach Sean Payton, the Broncos have looked hard at the Senior Bowl for their draft picks, including Bo Nix, Kris Abrams-Draine, Alex Forsyth, Riley Moss, and JL Skinner, with Thomas Incoom added as an undrafted free agent.

Most draft experts think this group of quarterbacks are weaker than last year’s crop led by Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels, the first and second overall picks. Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy made it plain this week with a blunt assessment.

When practices for the Reese’s Senior Bowl start on Tuesday, National quarterback Dillon Gabriel might be wearing the most unusual helmet at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Reflecting his journey to Mobile through Orlando, Florida; Norman, Oklahoma; and Eugene, Oregon, Gabriel has a helmet bearing emblems of UCF, Oklahoma and Oregon.

Daniels is one of the new breed of rookies that enter the league ripened by five years of college ball, similar to the trajectories of Joe Burrow and Bo Nix.