“You’re Putting Him on Joe Burrow’s Level”: Former Broncos RB Argues with Jurrell Casey Over Bo Nix Comparison

Bo Nix just ended the Broncos’ eight-year playoff drought. In the process, he also took away Joe Burrow’s chance to make it to the playoffs.

Nix has had a fantastic rookie season. So fantastic that the boys at DNVR Sports think he can one day very soon be on the same level as Burrow. Co-host Ryan Koenigsberg seems fully convinced of Nix’s potential as a top quarterback in the NFL, a quarterback that everyone will fear to face in the playoffs, much like they fear Joe Burrow now. Koenigsberg started off the debate on the podcast as he said:

“Bo Nix has all of the things that can make him a great quarterback…He’s just getting started and he’s already doing special things. Within the next couple of years, Bo Nix is going to be one of those guys you don’t want to see in the playoffs.”

Former defensive end Jurell Casey seconded Ryan’s opinion, also showing faith in the rookie quarterback. He further asserted that if his rookie season is any indication, Bo Nix is slated for only better things to come in the future.

“If he does what he did this year, and do it a little better, he can be that quarterback,” he said on the podcast.

Casey took it a step further with the Burrow comparison and pointed out that the Cincinnati quarterback has been active in the league for five years now, with one Super Bowl appearance to his name. If Nix is held to the same standard, according to Casey, he can get there even faster.

Former Broncos RB Knowshon Moreno, however, vehemently disagreed with Casey and Ryan’s stance. His argument was two-fold, firstly asserting that we just haven’t seen enough from Nix to be holding him to that standard quite yet.

Secondly, he pointed out that Nix is not an all-round QB, but the product of a well-supported cast. Burrow, on the other hand, can ball out regardless of what his team looks like.

“The defense has to continue to play like it did this year. Joe Burrow, it’s not gonna matter what the defense looks like, he’s gonna go out there and do his thing…I don’t think Bo is the kind of player that makes other players around him better…You’re putting him on Joe Burrow’s level and I just don’t see it.”

This year, Burrow put up a masterclass in QB play. Surrounded by a downright disappointing supporting cast, he put up MVP-calibre numbers. Despite a poor showing from the Bengals defense for much of the season, he put Cincinnati within touching distance of the playoffs.

However, ultimately, it was Nix who slid from under them to secure that playoff berth. Recency bias could definitely make some think that Nix is at the same level as Burrow.

As the cast of DNVR also pointed out, Burrow played just four games in his rookie season. That makes it hard for us to be able to compare Nix’s rookie numbers to his. Is Nix a great quarterback? Sure. In just his rookie season, he’s become the star QB the Broncos have been looking for since Peyton Manning left.

But is he on Joe Burrow’s level? While he does have some of the same qualities as Burrow, like exceptional accuracy and a poise under pressure that few have mastered, it’ll still take a couple more seasons for us to definitively answer that question.