Who Should I Start? Sam Darnold or Bo Nix

Tuesday, April 28, 6:16 PM

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (ankle) had a successful and anticipated follow-up clean-up procedure on his ankle during his scheduled re-check with Dr. Norman Waldrop last week, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. The Broncos are expected to be conservative with Nix's participation during the offseason program, but the third-year signal-caller "continues to make strong progress" in his recovery and is firmly on track to be ready for the start of training camp at the end of July. The 26-year-old should then be ready to roll for Week 1 of the 2026 regular season in early September, barring a setback with his surgically repaired ankle in camp. The Broncos would like to see Nix start developing chemistry with new receiver Jaylen Waddle as quickly as possible, but they aren't going to rush anything. In his second NFL season in 2025, Nix nearly led the Broncos to the Super Bowl before fracturing his ankle late in the Divisional Round win over the Bills. He was a top-10 fantasy QB as well, throwing for 3,931 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions while adding 356 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground in 17 regular-season games. Nix has some injury risk because of his ankle, but if fully healthy in head coach Sean Payton's offense, he should at least be considered a low-end QB1 in fantasy leagues.