Sean McDermott knows what a quarterback benching looks like. In 2017, he famously turned to rookie gamble Nathan Peterman over Tyrod Taylor, and Peterman threw five interceptions in a single half against the Los Angeles Chargers. Nearly a decade later, McDermott is back in the quarterback conversation, this time with a reality check for the Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix.
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Recalling facing Nix in the previous two seasons, McDermott described him as a competitive, edgy player with a distinctive play style.
“What I’m seeing a little bit this year, to their point, is some of the maybe indecisiveness,” McDermott said on The Rich Eisen Show. “He’s kind of volleyed back and forth between two different play callers now, so maybe that’s it. You just never know; he’s got game, he’s got the skills. I see him on the bench a little bit this year.”
McDermott claimed the third-year quarterback appeared noticeably relaxed this year. But he also clarified being unsure if that’s simply Nix’s natural demeanor.
“Sometimes a quarterback, in particular, needs to have that demeanor on the sideline because you have to stay consistent,” McDermott added. “You’ve got to stay poised for your team. Just overall, it’s whatever works as far as that goes, but there is something a little bit off this year, and I would agree from that standpoint because I know what he’s capable of doing.”
Bo Nix had an exceptional start to his NFL career after entering the league as the 12th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He earned the starting job immediately and put together a strong rookie campaign while throwing for 3,775 yards and 29 touchdowns.
Nix followed his rookie year with another full 17-game season and a better output, where he racked up 3,931 passing yards and 25 touchdowns. However, McDermott and many others saw a slight dip in the Broncos quarterback’s performance and competitive spirit.
Through six games of the 2026 regular season, the wheels have come off for Denver’s passing attack. Nix is averaging a career-worst 5.6 yards per pass attempt, the lowest in the league. Meanwhile, the Broncos HC Sean Payton has gone out of his way to reassure the young quarterback of his status as the franchise cornerstone.
Following the Week 5 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers, Payton shared a personal interaction he had with Nix to boost his confidence.
“I said to him, ‘Man, you’re the guy we wanted here. Let’s go. You’ve done a ton of things well,'” Payton told Denver Post reporter Parker Gabriel. “You’ve done a ton of things well.’ But I think there’s a lot that goes into that. ‘That old TV series The Bear, they just say, ‘Let it rip.’ I want him to make sure, hey, let it rip.'”
Even though McDermott has expressed concerns about seeing Nix on the bench quite a bit this season, Payton has shown no doubts about his 26-year-old quarterback’s ability.