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 to The Athletic on Tuesday.
Nix originally had surgery in late January after suffering an ankle fracture at the end of Denver’s overtime victory over the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round of the playoffs. The injury forced him to miss the Broncos’ 10-7 loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.
The latest procedure could affect Nix’s availability for OTAs, which begin for the Broncos in early June, and the minicamp to follow. Broncos coach Sean Payton acknowledged after the final day of the NFL Draft on Saturday that Nix had a scheduled follow-up with Waldrop, but he didn’t specifically answer a question as to whether the timeline for Nix to return to the field had changed.
“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.”
Payton, general manager George Paton and co-owner Greg Penner all voiced confidence during the NFL’s league meetings in late March that Nix would participate in OTAs.
“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.”
It now appears to be an open question as to whether — or how much — Nix will see the field during Denver’s on-field workouts in June. Even if Nix is limited during OTAs, though, the source indicated, he’s expected to be fully ready by the time the Broncos begin training camp in late July.
Nix suffered the injury while carrying the ball during the final drive of Denver’s 33-30 victory over the Bills. The Broncos’ euphoria after reaching the conference title game for the first time in a decade was quickly doused when Payton announced, about an hour after the game ended, that imaging done in the stadium showed Nix had suffered a broken ankle and would be out for the rest of the season.
“I broke my ankle one step away from the Super Bowl,” Nix wrote in an essay published in “The Players’ Tribune” earlier this month. “It hurt. Bad. Not just physically. It hurt because I love playing the game with my teammates. It hurt because we’ve built something really special. It hurt because when you’re that close to something you’ve dreamed about your whole life, you don’t want it taken out of your hands.”
Nix threw for 3,931 yards, 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions last season. His 24 victories since being drafted 12th overall by the Broncos in 2024 are tied with Russell Wilson for the most by a quarterback during his first two seasons in league history.