It was one of those moments that made the entire stadium go silent. Deep during the overtime with about six minutes remaining, of the massive AFC Divisional clash against the Bills, Bo Nix takes off on a gutsy designed run. But then he got swallowed up by the defender, and the way he landed after was simply… wrong. You could see his right ankle buckle under all that axial force as he hit the turf. He then underwent surgery and was ruled out of the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots.  Since then he has been on a journey.

After undergoing surgery in Birmingham, Nix had been regularly rehabbing at the Broncos’ complex during the offseason. He mentioned training really hard and returning as soon as possible. Even the head coach and the executives were confident of his return by the time of the organized team activities. But his latest injury reports speak otherwise.

“Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix had a cleanup procedure performed on his right ankle last week as part of a scheduled follow-up with surgeon Norman E. Waldrop, a league source confirmed,” wrote The Athletic‘s Nick Kosmider.

NFL insider Ian Rapoport also mentioned it and further added that there’s nothing to fear. It is a common procedure and will only help Nix recover faster. The cleanup procedure under Norman E. Waldrop was successful, and he is right on track for the training camp in July. According to Rapoport, the quarterback will only be missing the voluntary camp and the OTAs.

The Broncos will kick-start their offseason program on the first Monday of May, which is May 4. However, during the first month, the franchise will mainly focus on weight training and conditioning. The OTAs will commence after four weeks, which is on June 2. A mandatory minicamp will follow the OTA in mid-June, with the training camp taking place in July.

The timelines comply with Nix’s return schedule. Although he was to return earlier, they rescheduled the training camp in accordance with his expected return. Even head coach Sean Payton confirmed the new offseason timeline for the Broncos.

“Guys will be working on Monday [May 4] and then probably more of a team meeting next week,” said Sean Payton. “Then certainly you’ve seen the schedule. Probably in the prior two years, we would have been out on the field, and you guys would have been out there with us in May. It’s kicked back a little, so that will take place in June.”

Of course, the big question is if Nix’s second surgery brings any bad news from the physical aspect. But it’s not. It was a follow-up surgery to remove damaged, inflamed, or loose tissue from inside the ankle joint. Despite the surgery pushing back his return date, the HC is optimistic about his timely return.

“He had a recheck that was scheduled. He’s doing great,” Payton said of Nix on Saturday. “We’re excited about his progress. Nothing to report. These guys will be coming in here. He’s here. A number of these guys are coming in the building.”

According to Payton, the quarterback’s recovery is going well. There’s not much to report, other than that they are quite excited to have him in the building within a couple of months. Co-owner Greg Penner is also embodying the same energy about Nix and is happy with how the 26-year-old has been attacking his recovery.

“He’s attacked his recovery in the same way that he attacks preparing for games,” Penner said of Nix at the time. “He’s done a terrific job. He’s ahead of schedule, no concerns at all for (the offseason program) and going forward from there. We’re really pleased with his progress and the support from Vice President of Player Health and Performance Beau Lowery and everyone.”

Although Bo Nix won’t be there for the OTAs, he is expected to take the QB1 reps during the summer training camp. But there is a scenario where the franchise may go for a veteran quarterback.

Are the Denver Broncos looking for a quarterback?

The Denver Broncos have three quarterbacks: Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham, and Sam Ehlinger. While the quarterback room seems packed in Denver, the franchise may have other thoughts, especially with the rookie minicamp scheduled from May 8-10. Within hours of Ian Rapoport reporting Nix’s cleanup procedure, The Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson came up with an interesting perspective.

Tomasson reported that the team is “looking to bring in a veteran QB as a tryout player” for their upcoming rookie minicamp because “they want a good arm to throw those [three] days to their rookies.”

The starting QB is injured, and the other two quarterbacks are not eligible for the minicamp, since they are not “rookies.”

“Their three quarterbacks, Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham, and Sam Ehlinger, obviously aren’t eligible for the rookie minicamp,” Tomasson added further.

As a result, the Broncos are possibly looking for a veteran quarterback with a gunslinger arm. They can throw the ball for the rookies and help them train. Although his involvement will be minimal since he is a veteran, he can prove to be a big help. Moreover, if the coach happens to like him, he can also give Stidham and Ehlinger competition for the QB2 or QB3 spot.

There are a lot of options in free agency. Super Bowl winner Russell Wilson, Tyrod Taylor, Jeff Driskel, Cooper Rush, and many more. A few days back, even 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers was also an option. He is still an option, but the Pittsburgh Steelers have put him under a rare NFL tender that makes it a tad bit more difficult to sign him than others. Now, it remains to be seen whether the Broncos actually go for a QB or rely on the ones they already have.