No reason for a change, but Bo Nix needs to improve.

The Broncos aren't thinking about change, but Bo Nix needs to change his approach in the pocket.

You can't rank 27th in ESPN's quarterback ratings and be under the illusion that you can do that.

Bo knows he has to improve. Of course, this season will be judged on a curve. His evaluation requires patience and foresight.

However, it is not the quarterback's fault if he is leading an offense that cannot find the end zone using Google Maps.

First, context is needed. Coach Sean Payton has let Nix down. Nix is ​​averaging 44 dropbacks, an unsustainable number for a rookie.

The offense looks nothing like the one in the preseason or the practice game against the Packers. This attack utilized Nix's college strengths with run-pass options, quarterback runs, and naked bootlegs with a progression read.

What we saw in the first half against the Steelers was such a conservative approach that punting seemed to be the goal. The opposite was true in the second half when the balls were repeated. Are there no shades of gray?

If I had known Payton would throw the ball relentlessly, I would have advocated putting Jarrett Stidham in the starting lineup and having him play against four former defensive coordinators working as head coaches for the first month.

The genie isn't taking Ozempic to put him back in the bottle. This is Nix's job, his season, as it should be. But even in the absence of playmakers — please start running back Tyler Badie and use Javonte Williams as a third-down back against Tampa Bay — Nix needs to take steps forward.

There are things he can control that have nothing to do with the scheme and his teammates. It starts in the pocket.

He needs to get better. Nix has earned the coaching staff's trust with his ability to correct mistakes. It's time to see this player. Looking at the videos from the first two games, Nix does not show the expected feel for the pocket.

“The biggest thing he can do to help this offense is to be able to perform in the pocket. He feels the pressure and doesn't understand that he has safety in the pocket, even when pressure is coming from all sides,” said Ryan Harris, offensive lineman and Super Bowl 50 champion. “It's tough. But he can definitely do it.”

There are several instances where the pocket presents problems. Against Seattle, Nix made shorter drops than expected – three steps instead of five – which led to timing issues while waiting for receivers to get free. This caused his feet to move too much, which fundamentally affected his throwing technique. He also drifted backward, which gained time on Saturdays but was guaranteed to lead to sinkholes on Sundays.

Against the Steelers, Nix took a couple of sacks that were avoidable. In the first quarter, he had to stand upright in the pocket and release the ball when it hit his back foot. He looked like he saw a ghost, which is not unusual for a second start, when he went down without being hit. And when TJ Watt hit him on the leg later in the game, Nix fell, which was a missed opportunity to get up in the pocket.

The 24-year-old has shown signs of getting into a rhythm. He took a hard hit when driving the ball to Josh Reynolds and stayed in his spot. And his shoulder pass to Reynolds against Seattle was his best of the season.

As he becomes more familiar with the defense's approach (it would help if Payton ran the play faster so Nix broke the huddle with more than 10 seconds left on the clock), he should be able to trust his eyes.

In this way, he can manipulate the gap to buy time to reach the secondary routes in his advance that appear open on film.

Nix understands the challenge and the importance of this nuance for his development.

“I think I've been fortunate to be able to play in a lot of different pockets. Some clean, some dirty. Sometimes I have to be on the move, sometimes you have all day. Honestly, it kind of depends on the situation. Every team I've played with has had all of the above. Going forward, you just have to play with what the defense gives you,” Nix said Wednesday. “Every once in a while you feel like a pocket is clean and you sit there and throw. Sometimes they bring an extra guy in and you can't block them and you have to stay there and still throw. Sometimes you have to get out of the way, so it's the happy medium of the quarterback position.”