The broken ankle that robbed Denver quarterback Bo Nix of a chance to contend for a Super Bowl berth was inevitable due to a pre-existing condition, Broncos coach Sean Payton said Tuesday.
Nix broke a bone in his right ankle on the penultimate play of the Broncos' 33-30 victory over the Buffalo Bills in a divisional round clash on January 17.
Nix had surgery last week and was an onlooker as the Broncos fell to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game on Sunday.
"What was found (during surgery) was a condition that was predisposed -- — they always find a little more when they go in," Payton told reporters.
"It wasn't a matter of if, it was a matter of when ... The operating surgeon said that this was going to happen sooner than later.
"Now, you go about the rehab, proper orthotics, all those things."
Broncos executive George Paton said Nix is currently on course for a return in May, which is when the Broncos will hold organized team activities.
In the meantime, Payton said, Nix is getting about the team facility on his medical scooter.
"You have to know him. He's fidgety to begin with," Payton said. "He might have just been getting his scooter laps. He was up there, like, in an area he'd never be in department-wise.
"He's handling it like a pro," added the coach, who said he knew Nix was disappointed to have to watch his 2024 draft contemporary Drake Maye pilot New England to a win over Denver.
"It's difficult to get as far as he brought us, and then also to see one of his contemporaries, someone in his draft class who he would have loved to have competed against, advance," Payton said. "It's a tough deal.
"He'll rehab his tail off and get back to being healthy," Payton predicted.
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