A new playmaker in Denver, but no Bo Nix yet as Jaylen Waddle settles into the Broncos offense

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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The Denver Broncos are back on the football field for the first time since losing the AFC championship game to New England with Bo Nix watching from a suite with his surgically repaired right ankle in a cast.

Nix is still sidelined following a second procedure on his right ankle but he was on the field Thursday, throwing some passes but mostly watching backups Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger incorporate offseason acquisition Jaylen Waddle into the offense.

“He's had a good week,” coach Sean Payton said of Waddle, the speedy receiver the Broncos acquired in a trade with the Miami Dolphins this spring. “He's someone who picks things up real quick. He had a real good day yesterday and you can just feel his instincts and his quickness and his ability to not only run fast but to stop fast.”

Waddle is expected to work with Nix by the time the Broncos hold their minicamp in two weeks.

“I mean, you don't see (Nix) in pre-practice, but he's been throwing and I do think in our third week .... you'll see more of a role,” Payton said.

The Broncos were the last team to actually take the field during their offseason training program, which for them has consisted of workouts indoors until Tuesday when they embarked on football drills.

Before working on his chemistry with Nix, Waddle has been developing a rapport with his No. 1 wide receiver counterpart Courtland Sutton.

“Yeah, it's been fun,” Sutton said. “Being able to see him up close, he's a special dude. ... He has some qualities that only he can do. ... He has tremendous speed. His speed and acceleration paired together are top tier. His understanding of the offense, his understanding of football ... his run after the catch is top tier.”

Waddle said he envisions he and Sutton delivering a great 1-2 punch.

“Courtland's an elite playmaker,” Waddle said. “Anytime you have an elite playmaker on the other side, it just makes it easy, someone that the defense has to be looking for and vice versa.”

While he's eager to work with Nix on the field, it's apparent the two have already started developing chemistry.

“Bo is definitely a competitor, he loves talking ball, he loves being around the guys," Waddle said. “I think he's a great leader. I can just see the traits from him day to day and if he sees something he's going to tell me about it and then we're going to pick each other's brains, try to get on the same page as best we can.”

The Broncos gave star cornerback Pat Surtain II a $5 million raise this season through a contract adjustment. Surtain also can earn another $5 million if he's an All-Pro or Pro Bowl selection. He's a two-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler.

“He’s obviously someone that we feel like is elite and at the top of his position,” Payton said. “And part of that is the salary cap and how that fluctuates and moves, especially in the last three years.”

The Broncos are finally out from under the record $85 million dead cap hit they incurred by releasing Russell Wilson, allowing them to make moves as they did with Surtain.

“It feels good,” Payton said. “Look, it's important. It's hard to do that with dead money and when you do that with a record-setting amount, it's a credit to everyone, the young players, the coaches, the scouts, and so I don't know that anyone can feel or see it, but certainly it exists when it pertains to your budget.”

The ninth overall pick in the 2021 draft, Surtain has a dozen interceptions and 59 pass breakups in his five seasons as a pro.

Surtain is entering the first season of a four-year, $96 million extension he signed in 2024, which at the time made him the league's highest-paid cornerback based on average annual salary. He has since been surpassed by Jaycee Horn, Trent McDuffie, Sauce Gardner, Derek Stingley Jr., and Jalen Ramsey.

The Broncos open the season with a tough six-game stretch beginning with a game at Kansas City followed by five weeks of games against 2025 playoff teams, but Payton said he doesn't believe the league was being punitive.

Asked if he's upset someone in the league office, Payton, cracked, “No, that happened a long time ago.”

Payton was suspended for the entire 2012 NFL season due to his involvement in the New Orleans Saints’ “Bountygate” scandal.

After a visit to Kansas City, the Broncos host the Jacksonville Jaguars and Los Angeles Rams before visiting the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Chargers. After that, they host the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.

“We'll get to see where we're at early,” Waddle said.

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