Denver Broncos fans can breathe a sigh of relief—quarterback Bo Nix is on track for a strong return. Head coach Sean Payton provided an encouraging update on the third-year signal-caller's recovery from a recent ankle clean-up procedure, and the news is all positive.

"He's doing great," Payton said after Saturday's rookie minicamp practice. "He'll be well ahead of time for training camp. I think there's a good chance we see him in this offseason program in June. We're going to be the ones kind of holding him back, if you will."

The coach emphasized that the minor surgery was expected and part of a routine plan to keep Nix at peak performance. While the team will take a cautious approach this spring—"being smart," as Payton put it—the expectation is that Nix will be at full speed by the time training camp kicks off in late July.

When asked about Nix's participation in organized team activities (OTAs) in early June, Payton suggested fans might see him during mandatory minicamp later that month. "You'll see him. I'm sure you'll see him in probably minicamp maybe, but he'll be full speed throwing everything in July before we even get back here. He's doing good," Payton added.

Speculation had swirled about the Broncos potentially adding a fourth quarterback to the roster if Nix couldn't throw during OTAs, but Payton downplayed that need. "Generally with those practices, two [QBs] is not a problem," he said. "It would be more of an issue if you felt a player was going to be a PUP in training camp, and that's not going to be the case."

While Payton didn't completely rule out signing another arm, he made it clear that any such move wouldn't be driven by Nix's recovery timeline. With the young QB on pace to be fully ready for camp, the Broncos' offense is shaping up for a seamless transition into the new season.