Broncos' inexcusable NFL draft mistake becoming clearer every week
Posted October 14, 2025
In week 5, Bo Nix might’ve only been the second-best NFL player in his own family. As Bo struggled (especially in the second half) against the Jets in London, rookie wide receiver Tez Johnson hauled in a 45-yard touchdown that helped the Buccaneers take down the 49ers.
Tez began the season buried on Tampa Bay’s depth chart, sitting behind one of the league’s deepest wide receiver rooms. But a wave of injuries pushed him into the spotlight, and he’s made the most of it — seven catches for 104 yards and a touchdown over the last two weeks.
On a day when the Broncos’ offense sputtered and barely held on for a win in London, a seventh-round rookie receiver was shining elsewhere — leaving Denver fans to wonder why he isn't catching touchdowns from Bo Nix.
Broncos should have drafted Bo Nix's brother Tez Johnson in 2025
Tez Johnson not only played at Oregon with Bo Nix, but won a state championship with him in high school. Bo’s father, Patrick Nix, coached them both, and Bo was the one
who first told him how special Tez was, describing him as being “as fast as a lightning bug.” When Tez was 15, the Nix family took him into their home, and the two became brothers.
Though their college paths initially diverged — Nix to Auburn and Johnson to Troy — they eventually reunited at Oregon, Tez’s favorite childhood team. In 2023, alongside Bo, Johnson caught 10 touchdowns and finished as the Ducks’ second-leading receiver behind Troy Franklin.
Tez entered the NFL a year after Bo but slipped to the seventh round, where the Buccaneers took a flier on him. Surely, Tez would’ve loved to reunite with his brother in Denver — but the Broncos made no move to make it happen.
Maybe Denver passed because they’d already drafted one of Bo’s Oregon teammates in 2024. Or perhaps they didn’t want to spend more draft capital at wide receiver after selecting Pat Bryant in the third round.
Whatever the reasoning, it’s starting to look like a mistake. After Tez’s highlight-reel touchdown on Sunday, it’s fair to wonder if the Broncos’ front office is kicking themselves for not taking a low-risk swing on Day 3.
There’s always a chance — like at Oregon — that Bo and Tez find their way back together someday. But if Tez keeps trending upward, the cost to reunite them will be far higher than the sixth- or seventh-round pick Denver could’ve spent to do it in the first place.
Al Horford Drops Retirement News, Reason For Joining Warriors
Perhaps the most notable addition of the Golden State Warriors’ late-offseason signings was Al Horford, arriving a year after winning a title with the
Boston Celtics and set to enter his 19th season in the NBA.
Though one of the oldest players in the league, Horford remains an impactful player on both sides of the ball and expects to start at center for
, the big man recently dropped a big hint as to his retirement plans, just after arriving in Golden State.Speaking with Nick Friedell of The Athletic, Horford said he expects the
Warriors to be the last stop on his NBA journey, barring any extraordinary circumstances. “Yeah, I think so,” Horford said when asked if he’ll end his career in Golden State.
“I think at this point in my career, where I see everything, that is my expectation, just to be here.”
Al Horford didn’t think he would leave Boston over the summer — but the Jayson Tatum injury changed everything. After re-shuffling the roster, the Celtics couldn’t offer the thing Horford wanted most at the end of his career: One more chance at a title.
Horford, age 39, averaged nine points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on 42.3% shooting for Boston last season. He signed a two-year, $11.6 million deal to go to the Bay Area, but there is a real chance that after that contract ends, Horford could bow out of the league.
Horford On Leaving The Celtics
Horford’s addition to Golden State was not only notable because he now joins at the tail end of the team’s dynastic run, but because he left the Celtics just a year off
a historic title run. However, in his profile with The Athletic, the center offered multiple reasons why it was time to leave the team he spent a collective seven seasons with.
Along with Jayson Tatum tearing his Achilles in the playoffs, Boston’s cap space was becoming a real issue. They won the title, but couldn’tkeep paying all their starters on new, more expensive deals. Along with the finances, Horford said he
didn’t think Boston had the same championship hopes as a few years ago. “I think the financial part was a component, but more than that, it was the winning part of it, trying to contend for a championship,
” Horford said on his Boston departure. “And I think there was a lot of things up in the air — and it just felt like they weren’t in the same, that same vision, obviously, because JT getting hurt, that takes a big toll. So I think at that point I really had to — up until then I was staying in Boston the whole time
.”
Horford joined Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis as noteworthy Celtics stars who left over the summer. The veteran center said after seeing the team’s early offseason moves, he didn’t
think a return was right.“I think once that offseason happened and it started to progress, it became clear to me the team had different priorities,” Horford added.
“Obviously, getting rid of Jrue (Holiday), getting rid of Kristaps (Porziņģis). And I know it’s all salary stuff, but it was like a domino effect, and it was tough for me
.”
Why He Chose The Warriors
While leaving Boston as a fan favorite, Horford now joins a Golden State team that hopes to win at least one more title to cap off a historic decade-plus dynasty. When asked about why he joined the
Warriors, Horford said it was both the prospect of playing with future Hall of Famers, as well as their interest in playing with him.
“Yeah, I had communication with them, with Steph and Draymond,
” Horford said. “And that was important. It happened very fast because it was at a point where they came to me and they’re like, ‘Hey, we’d love to have you,
’ and all these things. And it was one of these things that, for me, looking at this fit and the potential, it just felt right. So them reaching out to me was important.”Before even playing in his first official regular-season game with the team, with minimal preseason action under his belt, Horford has received praise from Curry, Kerr, and other members of the team. Golden State has yet to have a veteran center with both an outside shooting and rim-protecting presence over the past few years, so Horford will play a big part in the team’s expected success.
“It’s huge to have, not only a space five, but it’s not just any space five, it’s Al Horford,” Kerr said at a previous Golden State press conference. “Rebounds, defends, smart, good passer. Just watching him today, you could see the fit, how smooth it is.”AfterHorford’s earlier comments on wanting the Warriors to be his last team, it is fair to say his current deal could likely be the last NBA contract he will sign.
