The Oregon Ducks announced on April 15 that Bo Nix was "locked in" to serve as a guest coach at the school's spring game (scheduled for April 25), but the Denver Broncos' quarterback ended up backing out of that assignment. Oregon brought back All-Pro offensive tackle Penei Sewell to serve as a guest coach in Nix's place.
"No reason was provided for Nix's last-minute absence," according to Ducks Wire's Logan Brown.
While no reason was given last week, it's easy to connect the dots now. During the 2026 NFL draft, 850 KOA's Benjamin Albright reported on April 25 that Nix had a scheduled re-check with Dr. Waldrop. Allbright noted that Nix "continues to progress" in that report. However, three days later, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that Nix underwent a clean-up procedure with Dr. Waldrop.
The reason for Nix not coaching at the Ducks' spring game is not certain, but it wouldn't be surprising if that recheck and ensuing clean-up procedure were key factors.
Rapoport indicated on Wednesday that he expects Nix to be ready at or "very close" to the start of training camp, which is expected to begin in late July. That's a significant change from the recovery timeline that Nix and the Broncos said the QB would face this offseason. Previously, Nix was said to be "ahead of schedule" and on track for the start of the offseason program and organized team activities (OTAs).
Denver's scheduled to begin its offseason program on Monday, and OTAs are set to begin in early June. If Rapoport's reporting is accurate, Nix's return timeline has now been pushed back a few months to training camp.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: NFL: Bo Nix backed out of Oregon spring game amid ankle recheck
