Bo Nix, Anthony Richardson come with tough quarterback tradeoffs

If you believe in the theory that developing young quarterbacks is more art than science, Anthony Richardson of the Indianapolis Colts and Bo Nix of the Denver Broncos offer plenty of evidence, both good and bad.

Both guys were first-round gambles, and they entered the NFL with some similar attributes. Richardson and Nix can both run, to the extent where they represent genuine offensive weapons. They also feature different levels of arm strength—Richardson can throw rockets and moonshots from anywhere on the field, while Nix’s supposed strength is short-throw accuracy to move the chains.

But both QBs come with tradeoffs that have but their teams in intriguing positions, and the way Denver and Indy and Denver deal with those issues will define their season, and perhaps their long-term future as well.

Photo byBen HersheyonUnsplash

Bo Nix is showing out occasionally, but his limitations are becoming clear

Nix is carving out his own unique path with the Broncos. Coach and quarterback guru Sean Payton talked him up with he made Nix his starter, to the point where we all wondered is part of the sales pitch was Payton selling himself on the Oregon product’s ability to get the job done.

Like most rookie quarterbacks, Nix has had his ups and downs so far. The plusses are his running talent, which includes the ability to recognize and mostly avoid big hits, and his ability to make those short throws and move the chains. Nix’s potential is especially apparent when he plays against other raw rookies, e.g., Spencer Rattler of New Orleans when Denver throttled the Saints by a 33-10 count in this week’s Thursday night contest.

But Nix’s weaknesses and shortcomings have been just as apparent. Nix produced just 60 passing yards against the Jets a few weeks ago when New York’s tough defense kept him bottled up, and he has yet to post much more than 200 yards in a single game so far.

Short throws are fine when the Broncos can get a lead and use their blitz-happy defensive approach to control the game. But Denver is stuck in the same division as Patrick Mahomes, which means that sooner or later they’re going to need a gunslinger who can push the ball down the field and keep up with the Chiefs offense.

Anthony Richardson is the NFL’s ultimate quarterback conundrum

The Colts took a big gamble by selecting Richardson as high as they did. He wasn’t that accurate at Florida, but his jaw-dropping combination of a rocket arm and elite athleticism made him an irresistible prospect, especially given how quickly talented college QBs rise up the draft board these days.

The theory was that Indy could work with Richardson to eliminate his tendency toward overthrows and inaccuracy, and emerge with a finished product. It was a nice theory, but all the evidence so far says it’s not going to work.

The fly in the ointment is Richardson’s health. His size and stature make him a primary weapon in the run game, and the Colts leaned into that to take further advantage his big-play potential. But Richardson has been hurt constantly, and as a result Indianapolis has been doomed to mediocrity behind quarterbacks like Gardner Minshew and Joe Flacco.

Will this change? History says no. Accuracy is tough to teach at the NFL level, to the point where there are precious few examples of success. It’s especially difficult to teach with an injury-prone quarterback who can’t stay on the field, and that’s what Richardson looks like right now.

Which quarterback is the better bet?

Given the similarities here, it’s fair to ask which team took a better gamble with its young quarterback. Richardson still has a lot of untapped potential, while Nix already seems to be approaching his ceiling as an NFL quarterback, which is one of the criticisms he faced in pre-draft scouting reports.

The record so far indicates that Denver made the better selection here. Sean Payton was hired to bring the Broncos back to respectability after the disastrous Russell Wilson deal, and so far he’s done just that.

But the Broncos have a brutal stretch coming up after their next (layup) game against the Panthers. They’ll face the Ravens and Chiefs back-to-back, followed by a tough challenge against the prolific Atlanta offense. After that, though, if they can hold serve and get wins against the Raiders and Browns, a playoff berth isn’t totally out of the question.

The Broncos and Colts will meet shortly after that in mid-December, and where these two young QBs are in their development will be yet another fascinating storyline as the season continues to play out.

This article was originally written by Bob McCullough