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Eagles' Nolan Smith Offers 2025 Prediction for Broncos' Bo Nix
Eagles' Nolan Smith Offers 2025 Prediction for Broncos' Bo Nix originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Heading into their second seasons in the NFL, the 2024 NFL Draft's crop of starting quarterbacks are looking to build further on their first-year foundations.
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Two of these signal callers – the Washington Commanders' Jayden Daniels, the 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year, and the New England Patriots' Drake Maye – already have Pro Bowl selections on their respective résumés. The Chicago Bears' Caleb Williams and the Atlanta Falcons' Michael Penix Jr. will spearhead up-and-coming squads, while the Minnesota Vikings' J.J. McCarthy will make his professional football debut after missing all of 2024 with a torn meniscus.
And then, there's the Denver Broncos' Bo Nix, a player who, like Daniels, led his team to the postseason in his debut year at the helm. The Broncos made the playoffs for the first time since 2015 last year after a 10-7 record vaulted them into the AFC Wild Card round.
All six quarterbacks could either experience the dreaded "sophomore slump" and take a step backwards, or a "sophomore jump," cementing their status as franchise quarterbacks in the years to come. On Tuesday's edition of "Good Morning Football," Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nolan Smith offered his take on why Nix will land in the latter camp in 2025.
Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) during the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Empower Field at Mile Chenoy-Imagn Images
"He's a good quarterback, but also, I think he's just getting his feet wet in the league," Smith said. "You've seen him make some big down-the-field throws. We know he has a big arm. People underestimate his legs. He can scramble, he can run around, he can do a lot of different things. But, I say, when he throws the deep ball, he has the perfect accuracy, perfect throws. And he puts it right in the breadbasket, as we say in the South."
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Smith playfully admitted that some SEC bias may have factored into his decision – Smith went to Georgia, while Nix went to Auburn. But he doubled down on his statement, predicting that more good will come for Nix this upcoming season.
"I like him to make that next 'sophomore jump' just because I know he can do it, Smith said. "I know his feet and his arms are going to work together when his feet are settled in Denver."
Nix started all 17 of the Broncos' regular-season games in 2025, completing 66.3% of his pass attempts (376-567) for 3,775 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He also gained 430 rushing yards and found the end zone four more times on 92 carries.
Related: Broncos' Fan Favorite Discusses Challenge of Surpassing Division Rival Chiefs
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 26, 2025, where it first appeared.
