The Denver Broncos have undergone a great deal of change this offseason. They ended the Russell Wilson experiment, paying a pretty penny to get the veteran QB out of town. Denver replaced him with QB Bo Nix in the draft and traded to acquire former Jets first-round pick Zach Wilson as a backup. One former NFL QB recently compared Zach Wilson to one of the best QBs to ever play the game.
Robert Griffin III recently talked to Ed McCaffrey on his podcast RG3 and The Ones. During the episode, RG3 made an eye-opening comparison between Wilson and one 49ers legend.
“A lot of people don’t know this because we’re so far removed from it Ed, but Steve (Young) had 2 seasons where he went 2-14 in Tampa Bay before he was traded to the 49ers,” RG3 said. “And he was able to resurrect his career, become a Hall Of Fame Quarterback. I’m not saying that necessarily needs to happen for a guy like Zach Wilson. We saw Drew Brees become a Hall Of Famer with Sean Payton, we saw Alex Smith become a solid, great, really good NFL Quarterback when Jim Harbaugh came to the 49ers, and then when he subsequently went to the Kansas City Chiefs with Andy Reid.”
The Steve Young-Zach Wilson comparisons are definitely there. Both QB’s went to BYU. Both stand at around 6’2 have some mobility. Although Steve Young was much more of a rushing threat than Wilson so far in his career. Young ran for 4,239 yards and scored 43 rushing touchdowns in his NFL career.
As RG3 points out, Steve Young had a second chance opportunity to resurrect his career with the San Francisco 49ers. Wilson could get that chance with the Broncos if he can win the starting job.
Former Broncos CB Chris Harris Jr. skeptical of Sean Payton, Bo Nix pairing
There are plenty of people around the NFL media who are skeptical of the Sean Payton-Bo Nix marriage in Denver. Payton is known as a QB whisperer who can develop signal callers into elite talents. He will face the ultimate challenge in a very intriguing prospect in Bo Nix.
One doubter includes former Broncos star CB Chris Harris Jr. He expressed his concerns on a recent episode of All Facts No Breaks with Keyshawn Johnson.
“I mean he’s the best guy out there,” Harris Jr. said. “He’s supposed to be the quarterback guru and I think I can only, I don’t know that many quarterbacks he’s actually guru’d though. Only one I can remember is Drew Brees so far, maybe you have a little more history on that.”
While Harris Jr. has suspicions about Sean Payton, he does expect Bo Nix to win the starting job in Denver.
“I would be pretty upset if this kid can’t beat out Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson,” Harris Jr. said. “So I expect Bo Nix to beat those guys and be the starter Week one, so I’ll be highly disappointed if he’s not.”
Ultimately, Payton's legacy as a QB guru could be tied directly to Bo Nix's success. Drew Brees was already a talented QB before he arrived in New Orleans, though he struggled with injuries. If Payton can turn Bo Nix into a competent NFL QB, then that could cement his status as a QB developer.
If Bo Nix becomes a bust, that will raise questions around Payton. At the very least, it would call his abilities as a QB evaluator into question.
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