Sean Payton in Broncos gear on the sidelinesSean Payton (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)

Hall of Famer Peyton Manning has stated that the Denver Broncos are “very interested” in Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy, but he is not the only top QB prospect that the team is paying attention to ahead of the draft.

Albert Breer of MMBQ reports the Broncos have “quietly” done a lot of work on former Auburn and Oregon quarterback Bo Nix.

Breer stated that the Broncos had an hour-long Zoom with him last month and then sent a Sean Payton-led contingent to Eugene to work him out.

“The Broncos quietly did a lot of work on Oregon QB Bo Nix—they had an hour-long Zoom with him on March 7, then sent a Sean Payton-led contingent to Eugene to work him out on March 18, per sources,” Breer noted. “So interest is there. Fit, too. But not having a 2nd-rounder could complicate it.”

While acknowledging that there is “interest,” Breer also said that Denver’s lack of a second-round pick “could complicate” their efforts to draft Nix perhaps.

If the Broncos truly love Nix the way the report says they do, they could take him with the No. 12 overall pick. However, using a top pick like that might be a bit too much for a quarterback who could be the fifth or sixth player at his own position selected with Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy, and maybe Michael Penix Jr. potentially going ahead of him.

The Denver Broncos Desperately Need to Make Their Next QB Decision A Good One

Sean Payton (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Broncos quarterback room of Zach Wilson, Jarrett Stidham, and Ben DiNucci is far from anything that strikes fear in opposing defenses. As the second overall pick in the 2021 draft, Wilson has fallen short of the high expectations placed on him, and the other players on the depth chart are probably better suited as backups.

Denver has the 12th overall pick in the draft, and they desperately need to take a quarterback to usher in a new era of Broncos football. The franchise has desperately been trying to find their guy ever since Peyton Manning retired.