Bo Nix just got a wild welcome back to contact, literally hitting the ground and then throwing a football at a defender during a Tuesday training camp practice. His first live football since fracturing his ankle January 17th against the Green Bay Packers isn’t until Friday, but he got an early taste of the action.
When Practice Gets REAL
Everyone held their breath when defensive end Malcolm Roach and linebacker Nik Bonitto absolutely steamrolled the left side of Denver’s offensive line. Left tackle Garett Bolles and left guard Ben Powers got collapsed right into Nix, sending the QB to the turf. Seriously? Knocking down the guy recovering from a major ankle injury? NFL teams tell their guys to avoid that in practice! Roach started celebrating, and Nix didn’t hesitate, chucking a football at him. Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph didn’t mince words, “We all know on defense to avoid the quarterback. It gets competitive, obviously, and guys are rushing to win the down… But Bo’s our quarterback and we don’t want anyone near Bo.” That message surely hit home.
Scuffle on the Field? You Bet.
The tension didn’t cool after that first hit. Just two plays later, after Nix threw an interception, things boiled over. A tussle erupted, with a helmetless Calvin Throckmorton at the bottom of the pile. More linemen joined! Nik Bonitto jumped on right tackle Mike McGlinchey, and Nix himself stepped in, yanking on Bonitto’s leg to pull him off his guy. Coaches sent strong messages after practice about crossing the line. Offensive Coordinator Davis Webb kept it firm. “I’m glad that we’re fiery, I love the competition out here,” Webb said, “But we can’t cross that line, and that’s offense and defense… We all had a part of that. So we’re going to handle that the best we do and make sure we’re the Denver Broncos, not offense vs. defense.” Classic training camp dust-up!
Nix Is Recovered and Ready to Brawl
Despite the chaos, Nix looked uninjured and totally unfazed with reporters. He’s been a full participant all through training camp after two offseason surgeries to fix and treat bone spurs in his right ankle. The coaching staff and personnel say he’s fully recovered, and you can see it in the play calls too. There was a team-drill snap Tuesday where he escaped, ran to his right, and checked down to running back RJ Harvey. The guy’s clearly mobile! And his take on the whole brawl? “I love it,” Nix told reporters. “It’s football. It’s getting me ready for the games coming up and it’s a physical practice out there played by physical people. So it got intense… and the intensity runs high.” That’s the kind of grit you want from your QB.
After all that wildness, Bo Nix is officially set to play his first live snaps since his injury this Friday against the Green Bay Packers. After seeing this practice, you know he’s gonna be ready for the contact. The big question now is if the Broncos can channel this intense camp energy into being one unified team for the games coming up. Let’s see if that fire keeps burning without boiling over when the real lights are on.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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