Former Broncos Coach Offers Polarizing QB Comparison for Bo Nix
The Denver Broncos will hit the road in Week 5 to take on the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, and one of their coaches dropped a noteworthy take on second-year quarterback Bo Nix.
Nix was the No. 12 overall pick of the 2024 draft, and he had a record-setting season with the Broncos as a rookie.
But Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio sees shades of another QB in Nix.
Eagles DC Vic Fangio Compares Bo Nix to Baker Mayfield
Fangio helped the Eagles boast the No. 1 overall defense and the second-ranked scoring unit in 2024 en route to the Super Bowl. This season, Fangio’s Eagles are 22nd and 15th in those categories, respectively, but remain a threat that Nix and the Broncos cannot overlook.
They certainly are not overlooking Nix.
“He’s a lot like Baker Mayfield. I think he might be Baker’s younger brother. Really good. Really, really good,” Fangio told reporters on September 30.
“He’s a scrambler. He’s a competitor. He’ll throw the ball in tight places. He runs their offense really well. I think Sean’s done a great job bringing him along, and they got their quarterback for the future. They looked long and hard for many years and have got one.”
The Broncos need Nix to avoid the type of mistakes Mayfield endured against the Eagles.
The comparison is noteworthy, given Mayfield rallied the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back from a multiple-score deficit against the Eagles in Week 4. The Buccaneers fell short, losing to the Eagles 31-25, but Mayfield clearly left a strong impression on Fangio.
Mayfield, 30, completed 55% of his passes for 289 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception in that game.
The Broncos surely hope for a more efficient performance from Nix in Week 5.
Baker Mayfield a Polarizing Comparison for Bo Nix
Mayfield was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2018 draft by the Cleveland Browns, 11 slots earlier than the Broncos selected Nix seven classes later. The Buccaneers’ QB was more productive than Nix as a passer in their respective rookie seasons, and in three fewer games.
However, Nix had the edge in rushing production and winning percentage.
Where the comparison gets most interesting, though, is in how Mayfield’s career went after that and how the Broncos hope to avoid a similar fate with Nix, who also has had critical turnovers.
Mayfield is in his third season with the Buccaneers, but they are his fourth NFL team. He spent time with the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams between tenures with the Browns and, now, the Buccaneers.
Broncos Can Get Payback Against Vic Fangio
Fangio is now in his second season with the Eagles and 25th season as an NFL coach, and he spent three of those in the big chair with the Broncos. After the Broncos, Fangio joined the Miami Dolphins as DC.
It was there that Fangio was part of a lopsided, 70-20 Broncos loss in 2023.
The Broncos still have Vance Joseph in place as DC, just as they did in 2023, and they ranked third in scoring defense and seventh overall last season while leading the NFL in sacks.
Denver leads the NFL in sacks again, with 15 through four weeks. The Broncos also rank second in scoring defense and are 10th overall. Of course, Nix and the Broncos’ offense (ninth overall and 16th in scoring) must also do their job.
A complete reversal of the previous outcome is as unlikely as a repeat performance.
Still, the Broncos can exact some revenge against Fangio, however minor, and despite facing the Eagles and not the Dolphins, with a win in Week 5.
Shedeur Sanders Destroyed for ‘Playing God’ After Lamar Jackson Injury
Shedeur Sanders is in the process of watching the Cleveland Browns elevate a rookie quarterback into the starting role, but it isn’t him.
Dillon Gabriel will take the reins of Cleveland’s anemic offense heading into the team’s Week 5 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings in London on Sunday, October 5, per a report from CBS. Meanwhile, Sanders might also be starting the first game of his career next weekend had he not shunned the Baltimore Ravens when they reached out to his camp in April and expressed interest in drafting the QB in the fifth round.
NFL commentator and personality Emmanuel Acho was an outspoken critic of Sanders in the wake of the news that he’d spurned the Ravens. Acho took a victory lap on his position Tuesday, September 30, after the Baltimore Sun reported that the team will be without two-time MVP and starting quarterback Lamar Jackson for up to three weeks due to a hamstring strain.
Lamar Jackson is rumored to be out 2-3 weeks, and Shedeur Sanders should be starting for the Baltimore Ravens this week. Not sitting behind Joe freaking Flacco.
But y’all cussed me out when I said, you know what, nevermind- I’m annoyed.🙄
pic.twitter.com/iR0nJpe3W5— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) September 30, 2025
“Shedeur Sanders turned down going to Baltimore. Everybody said, ‘Acho, that’s a backup mentality. Acho, you talking like a backup.’ I said, ‘No, you can’t play god,'” Acho said. If Shedeur Sanders was a backup with the Baltimore Ravens right now, he’d probably be starting this week — in Baltimore, with Derrick Henry behind him, with Zay Flowers out wide, with DeAndre Hopkins out wide. Instead, Kevin Stefanski is still oscillating between starting [Joe] Flacco or Dillon Gabriel. This is why I said you can’t play god, because you never know what’s going to happen.”
Lamar Jackson’s Injury History Renders Ravens Better QB Destination Than Shedeur Sanders Realized
GettyBaltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Sanders’ reasoning for telling the Ravens he wasn’t interested in coming to their organization boiled down to a math problem. Jackson is a two-time MVP with a long career yet ahead of him, and Sanders’ desire to elevate into a starting role with relative immediacy wasn’t timeline compatible with the calculus of Jackson’s career trajectory.
Critics of Sanders’ viewpoint said he undervalued organizational character and structure, and ultimately shortchanged his own development by not accepting a backup role with the Ravens for two or three years.
And there is also Jackson’s injury history to consider. He missed five games in 2021 and 2022. Tyler Huntley stepped in both times and actually earned a Pro-Bowl nod in 2022 for his work in Jackson’s stead. That, coupled with the superior skill-position talent in Baltimore compared to Cleveland, and Acho’s point stands up.
In fairness to Sanders, there is no way he was going to win the job from Jackson with two or three weeks of starting rope early in his rookie season. But had he earned the chance to play, he’d be getting the experience and exposure he both desires and needs if he wants to prove himself a viable starter for any of the league’s 32 teams.
Shedeur Sanders May Not Be Starting Week 5 Even if He Were With Ravens Instead of Browns
GettyBaltimore Ravens quarterback Cooper Rush.
Baltimore also paid Cooper Rush north of $6 million to leave the Dallas Cowboys and back up Jackson for the next two years, so there is no guarantee Sanders would get the nod this week if he were in the Ravens QB room.
Rush has played 40 career games, he is 9-5 as a starter and has thrown for 3,515 yards, 20 TDs and 10 INTs across his eight-year career. But whether or not Baltimore would choose to start Sanders over Rush if they had the option, Sanders clearly believes he should already be running an NFL team.
“I know if you see the quarterback play in the league right now, I know I’m capable of doing better than that,” Sanders said. “[It’s] obvious a lot of teams would be playing me, but that’s not in God’s plan right now.”
