ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Tuesday’s Denver Broncos practice had a different edge.
The pads were popping. Tempers were flaring. And throughout the session, Denver’s offense and defense repeatedly found themselves pushing right up against and at times over the line between physical football and something more.
Multiple scuffles broke out during one of the Broncos’ most spirited practices of training camp, including the first full-team fight reported during this year’s camp. Rookie tight end Justin Joly was involved in one of the flashpoints, while quarterback Bo Nix and edge rusher Nik Bonitto later became involved around a larger pile.
For Denver, however, the intensity itself was not the problem.
Losing control of it was.
“I thought it was good,” defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said. “Obviously, you want competitive periods. It’s been competitive all camp. Offense wins, defense wins. Guys are getting guys better.”
Then came the qualifier.
“Obviously, you can’t cross the line,” Joseph said. “That’s against the rules. So practice, games, when we’re playing our style of football, it’s aggressive, it’s downhill, but we can’t ever cross the line and hurt our team.”
That tension defined Tuesday.
Practice turns physical
Outside reports described the session as Denver’s most spirited practice of camp, with multiple confrontations developing between the offense and defense. One sequence escalated into a large pile involving players from both sides, while offensive lineman Calvin Throckmorton emerged bloodied and was checked by trainers.
The temperature had been rising before that.
On one play, linebacker Taurean York delivered a hard hit on Joly in the flat, knocking the rookie tight end off his feet.
Later, tension around Nix boiled over.
Reports indicated Nix had grown frustrated after being hit and taken to the ground during practice. During the ensuing larger confrontation, Nix pulled Bonitto away from the pile by the leg, after which Bonitto became heated and had to be restrained by teammates.
Nix did not sound particularly bothered by the overall physicality afterward.
“I love it,” Nix said. “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.”
Nix acknowledged the intensity can rise during the long stretch of training camp.
“Sometimes in the dog days of summer, practice gets long, and the intensity runs high,” he said.
For Nix, getting pushed physically is part of the preparation.
For Denver’s coaching staff, though, there is a clear distinction between competing and costing the team.
Webb: ‘That’s not our standard’
Offensive coordinator Davis Webb echoed Joseph’s message.
Webb said he loves the competitiveness he has seen throughout camp and appreciates watching both sides of the ball win periods.
But there is still a limit.
“We just can’t cross the line,” Webb said. “I think Sean said that, and I agree. I’m glad that we’re fiery. I love the competition out here.”
Webb stressed that responsibility did not fall solely on the defense or one individual.
“That’s offense and defense,” Webb said. “That’s not just one person, one position group. We all had a part in that.”
Then he delivered the standard Denver is trying to reinforce.
“That’s not our standard.”
That is the balance Denver is trying to strike entering its second preseason game.
The Broncos want practices that feel uncomfortable. They want the offense dealing with one of the NFL’s most disruptive defensive fronts. They want receivers fighting through tight coverage. They want the defense seeing an offense capable of attacking it in different ways.
But none of that matters if the competition creates penalties, injuries or players losing their composure.
Joseph pointed specifically to protecting Nix.
Denver’s pass rush is expected to be one of the strengths of the team, but quarterbacks remain off limits during practice.
“We all know on defense to avoid the quarterback,” Joseph said. “It gets competitive obviously, and guys are rushing to win a down, and sometimes they get too close.”
The message is simple.
“We don’t want anyone near Bo.”
Nix still delivers during heated session
The confrontation did not overshadow everything Denver accomplished offensively.
Nix continued making plays during red-zone work, including touchdown connections with Courtland Sutton and Troy Franklin, according to practice reports. Running back J.K. Dobbins also had productive moments, while Marvin Mims Jr. returned to full-pad work.
That matters for a Broncos offense preparing for Friday night’s preseason matchup against the Green Bay Packers at Empower Field at Mile High.
Nix did not play in Denver’s preseason opener against Atlanta, but he expects to be on the field Friday.
He said his approach will not change simply because the snaps will be limited.
“You try to treat it as a real one and treat like you’re going to go play the whole entire game,” Nix said, “and then play with maximum intensity until they pull you.”
Friday will also give Nix his first game experience with Webb calling plays directly into his helmet.
Webb called Denver’s offense during the Broncos’ 27-7 preseason-opening win over Atlanta, but Nix watched that game from the sideline.
Now the starting quarterback gets his turn.
“It’ll be my first time in a game with him in my helmet,” Nix said. “I think it’ll be fun. I think first times are always fun.”
Denver’s defense keeps applying pressure
Tuesday’s intensity also reflected what Denver’s offense has been dealing with throughout camp.
Nix described practicing against the Broncos’ defensive front as frustrating at times — but valuable.
“It’s great for us in practice,” Nix said. “As annoying as it is, it’s great because they’re the best of the best.”
Denver’s offensive line regularly has to deal with elite edge pressure and interior disruption, while the receivers face a secondary that forces them to consistently create separation.
“The more reps you get having to go against the best, the better you’re going to be,” Nix said.
Joseph sees that same competition from the other side.
The defensive coordinator said Denver’s emphasis remains on playing sound football first — stopping the run, winning third down and winning in the red zone — and allowing takeaways to come from executing those fundamentals.
That showed up in Denver’s preseason opener.
Joseph noted that the Broncos produced four batted passes against Atlanta and said Denver may increasingly see quarterbacks try to get the ball out quickly because of its pass rush.
“When those opportunities present themselves, let’s take them,” Joseph said.
A practice that looked like a team ready to hit someone else
Training camp inevitably reaches a point where teammates have seen enough of one another.
Denver may have reached it Tuesday.
The offense and defense have spent weeks competing against the same personnel, the same tendencies and many of the same looks. On Tuesday, that familiarity turned into frustration several times.
Green Bay provides the next outlet.
The Packers come to Denver Friday for the Broncos’ first home preseason game, giving Nix and several other starters their first game action of the preseason.
And after Tuesday, the timing might be ideal.
Denver does not want to remove the edge that produced one of the most competitive sessions of camp.
It wants to control it.
