Time may be running out for Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix to prove he belongs among the league’s highest-paid quarterbacks.The Broncos benched first-year play-caller Davis Webb after a slow offensive start to the season, but that might not have been the issue. Head coach Sean Payton is now calling the plays after Davis’ demotionGettyHopes were high for their Week 5 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, but Denver trailed 17-10 through three quarters.Despite ultimately limping to a 23-17 victory that dropped Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers to 0-5, some have begun to speculate about Nix’s future at QB.Nix’s 123 passing yards against Los Angeles were the second-fewest of his career, and media personality Colin Cowherd didn’t mince his words.Cowherd thinks Denver shouldn’t extend Bo Nix“This offense should not be below the Miami Dolphins,” Cowherd said on The Herd. “So, you can’t extend Bo Nix. You let it play out, whatever. They won, but you let the season play out… Well, if you go to Bo Nix’s last 20 starts, he’s been awful in the first quarter and probably 17. “So, I mean, they won, but right now his first-quarter passer rating is lower than Cam Ward. And everybody thinks Cam Ward is a bust.”Through five games, the Broncos are 3-2, and Nix is on pace for 3,203 yards, 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Those end of season numbers would be almost 600 yards and nine touchdowns fewer than he had as a rookie quarterback in 2024.Cowherd is not the only one who doesn’t have faith in Nix. NFL analyst Brett Kollman echoed a similar sentiment.“If it keeps going this way, we are going to have to have a discussion about whether Bo Nix gets his fifth year option picked up,” Kollman wrote.Nix is on track for 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this seasonGettyColin Cowherd believes the Broncos should not hand Nix a multi-year extensionGetty“The numbers aren’t good. The tape isn’t good. Nothing is good outside of a few 4th quarter throws to dig out of holes he helps create.”Payton reveals message of encouragement to NixThe 26-year-old looks like an entirely different quarterback to the one who nearly guided Denver into the Super Bowl last year.He has eclipsed 200 passing yards in just two of the five games thus far, and not only that, his rushing numbers are down to just 35 yards in five games.Payton thinks Nix’s struggles stem from a lack of confidence in his arm.“I’ve said to him, ‘man, you’re the guy we wanted here, let’s go. You’ve done a ton of things well,’” Payton told reporters when asked where Nix can improve. “I think there’s a lot that goes into that. In that old TV series The Bear where they just said ‘let it rip’, you know I want him to make sure to let it rip.“Payton believes Nix’s struggles stem from a lack of confidence in his armGettyIf Nix can’t internalize his head coach’s advice and start “letting it rip,” the Broncos may soon be forced to look elsewhere for their long term solution under center.Join talkSPORT’s dedicated US Sports YouTube channel The S* Word every Tuesday and Thursday for our brand new NFL shows.On Tuesdays, Will Gavin and US senior reporter Brian T. Smith will debate the biggest talking points from the NFL weekend, while on Thursdays Efe Obada joins the crew to talk to players past and present and break down what to look for across the league.