Quarterback Bo Nix suffered a fractured right ankle against the Buffalo Bills during overtime of a thrilling AFC Divisional Game. He underwent surgery in January and, in the spring, had a “clean-up” procedure to aid in his recovery. As a result, he suffered a setback in his offseason campaign. While fans are yet to see Nix in action, there have been a lot of questions around his availability to start the season.

However, on Thursday, Denver Broncos’ head coach, Sean Payton, shared positive news that will bring happiness to the entire fanbase.

“I think we’ll see him in that role here, you don’t see the pre-practice, but he’s been throwing,” said Sean Payton, via Luca Evans on X. “And I do think in our third week when you guys are out here for three straight days, I think you’ll see more of a role.”

The Broncos’ next OTA is scheduled to be between June 9 and 11. It is confirmed that Nix won’t be in action then. However, the following week, which is June 16-18, when the minicamp starts, is when the QB could be back in action, according to Payton.

Initially, people expected him to take part in the OTAs. This was because at the annual league meeting in late March, the Broncos general manager, George Paton, said that Nix was “ahead of schedule” and that the team still expected him to be “ready for OTAs.”

Even the player was confident about his recovery when he had the second procedure in April.

“It’ll be absolutely no issue this offseason, I’ll be able to actually start training back when I was going to start training, so don’t miss any time there. I’m going to train really hard,” said Nix.

After he underwent the clean-up procedure in late April in Birmingham, Alabama, the head coach reported that Nix was “doing great,” and they were excited about his progress. The quarterback no longer has the giant cast on his leg, and based on Payton, he seems to be moving fine.

The reason why this injury is a little concerning for Nix is that this is not the first time he has hurt his ankle. He had issues with the ankle even in high school. After his rookie season, the QB had an operation on his ankle.

With the offseason preparations heating up, the team would be looking to bring Nix back to the mix as soon as possible. While he has progressed a little bit, they would not want to rush him back to re-aggravate the injury.

Could Bo Nix be back in time for Gameweek 1?

As the Denver Broncos continue their offseason preparations, their focus will be on making a statement right out of the gate. They even have a chance to do that, as their opponent during Gameweek 1 will be the Kansas City Chiefs.

After their poor performance in the 2025 season, the Chiefs went all out to address the issues they had. By adding a few defensive pieces and potentially looking at bringing a big WR to the roster, the Chiefs could once again be favorites to win it all. But they will certainly have to go through the Broncos if they want to do that.

Led by Bo Nix, the team is well-stacked with quality players all across the board. The QB recorded 3,931 passing yards and 25 touchdown passes, with a 63.4% pass completion rate.

His injury makes it tough for him to return directly for Gameweek 1, where he has the chance to face off against Patrick Mahomes. The latter is himself coming off a serious ACL injury, and even his status for the game is in doubt. Both of them have progressed well and seem to have started throwing the ball already.

They will have to look at preparing mentally for the game as well, because it may be pivotal in the race to determine who conquers the AFC West. If both these star QBs feature, it is expected to be a spectacle for fans, and too in Week 1 itself.