Another day, another milestone for Bo Nix. The former Oregon star is already slated to become the first Broncos rookie quarterback to start the season opener since John Elway, and has now become the franchise's first rookie captain since Hall of Fame running back Floyd Little way in 1967.
Nix is one of six Broncos who will be captains this season, joining wideout Courtland Sutton, offensive lineman Quinn Meinerz, cornerback Patrick Surtain II, linebacker Alex Singleton and kicker Wil Lutz.
Nix's captaincy caps off what has been an extremely positive summer for the 12th overall pick in this past year's draft. The former Oregon standout performed well enough this summer to win his position battle over Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson.
It's safe to say that Nix wouldn't mind having a similar career to the one the last Broncos rookie captain enjoyed. A prolific college player during his years at Syracuse, Little was just as good in the pros. Over a six-year span, Little earned five Pro Bowl nods (and was tabbed as an All-Pro in 1969) and led the league at least once in attempts, rushing yards, average rushing yards per game, touchdown runs, yards-per-carry average and total scrimmage yards.
On Sunday, Nix will make more history by becoming the first Broncos rookie quarterback in 41 years to start a season opener. Elway, the last Broncos quarterback to do so, has high hopes for Denver's new signal-caller.
"I think that, obviously, Bo is tremendously talented," Elway said shortly after Nix was named the Broncos' starting quarterback. "He's played a lot of college football. He's ahead of the curve when it comes to that. I think that Sean Payton will be great for him, and the offense that they're gonna run, they'll protect him. I think they're pretty good on the offensive line; they'll be good at running the football.
"Bo's a mature guy, so it'll be fun to see them working. I think Sean knows how to develop quarterbacks. He'll keep him in the right situations, not put too much on him and allow him to improve week in and week out. Bo's gonna see, it's a big jump between the preseason and the regular season. I'm sure that he'll handle that well. He's gonna have his ups and downs as a young guy, which I had plenty of those. He's got all the arm strength and all the talent in the world and the mind strength to be able to do it."