Bo Nix in middle of scrap at Broncos’ heated camp practice: ‘I love it. It’s football’

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — When Bo Nix was inadvertently knocked to the ground by defensive tackle Malcolm Roach during a red-zone play early in training camp, a silent hush fell over the field.

“It got quiet real quick,” nose tackle D.J. Jones said. “Everybody stopped.”

After a tense moment, Denver’s third-year quarterback bounced to his feet, no damage done. Practice kept humming.

When Nix again found himself on the ground during Tuesday’s training camp practice, though, there was nothing quiet about the scene. After Nix was tripped up, with a defensive player landing on top of him, he got up and fired the ball in the apparent direction of Roach, who had been near the collapsing pocket alongside Jonathon Cooper and Nik Bonitto. That lit the fuse on the sequence that followed during the most animated practice of this camp for the Broncos — and among the most spirited since Sean Payton took over as the team’s head coach in 2023.

Nix, two plays after hitting the ground, threw a pass that was intercepted by linebacker Alex Singleton on the left side of the field. A melee broke out on the opposite side of the field between the offensive and defensive lines. Bonitto appeared to jump on the pile as bodies hit the ground, and Nix grabbed the All-Pro pass rusher by the leg, attempting to yank him out of the pile.

Nix ultimately had to be held back by left tackle Garett Bolles. Right tackle Mike McGlinchey and Bonitto were also pushed to their respective corners by assistant coaches as they continued shouting at one another. Center Calvin Throckmorton was being treated for an apparent cut to his nose after emerging from the bottom of the pile.

When Nix spoke to the media following Tuesday’s practice, he described the incident with all the excitement of a kid who had just spent a day at the water park.

“I love it,” Nix said with a grin when asked about the confrontation with the defensive side of the ball. “It’s football. It’s a physical practice out there, played by physical people. It got intense, and we were just really enjoying it. Sometimes in the dog days of summer, when the practice gets long, the intensity runs high.”

Payton was not scheduled to speak after Tuesday’s practice — he’ll likely address the dust-up Wednesday — but defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and offensive coordinator Davis Webb both spoke about the need to “not cross the line” when emotions reach a boiling point.

“I’m glad that we’re fiery and I love the competition out here,” Webb said. “It’s been unbelievable to watch both sides of the ball make some plays during this period, but we can’t cross the line. That’s offense and defense. That’s not just one person or one position group. We all have a part in that. We’ll handle that to make sure we understand we’re the Denver Broncos — not offense versus defense.”

Added Joseph: “We all know on defense to avoid the quarterback. It gets competitive, obviously, and guys are rushing to win the down. Sometimes they get too close, and we simply remind them. But Bo’s our quarterback, and we don’t want anyone near Bo.”

Glimpses of Nix’s fiery side have been seen during games. There was the time during the quarterback’s rookie season when he and Payton had an animated discussion on the sidelines during a failed offensive series against the Raiders that was caught by broadcast cameras, leading the coach to say afterward that Nix still had “a little Ferris Bueller in him.” During the second game against the Raiders that season, cameras captured Nix, his eyes menacingly wide, shouting at Las Vegas defensive end Tyree Wilson.

Nix mixing it up with teammates during practice, though, has been a rare occurrence during his three seasons as the team’s quarterback. The incident Tuesday came during a practice that had already featured a brief fracas during a 9-on-7 rushing drill, with rookie tight end Justin Joly scrapping with the defense. When Joly got popped while trying to make a catch during an 11-on-11 period, minutes later, nearly every member of the defense burst from the sideline in celebration.

Nix was clearly frustrated, at least in the moment, about being contacted in the pocket, a violation of practice rules for every team in the league. But his animated reaction could also be seen as a byproduct of the eager energy Nix is holding as he prepares to see the field in Friday’s preseason game against the Green Bay Packers. It will be his first game action since he suffered a fractured ankle in the playoffs against the Bills.

“He’s excited and I think you could feel that last week when he didn’t play,” Webb said, referring to the team’s decision to hold Nix out of the preseason opener in Atlanta. “(He) was kind of down. I know he’s excited, but there’s a lot more games in his career, so I think he’ll be just fine.”

Nix is only expected to play a series or two, but Webb said it will be important for the quarterback to “get all those feels back” as he pilots the offense in a game setting for the first time since January.

“I’m super excited, and it’s always a blast to play at home,” Nix said. “It’s great to get in front of our fans, and it will be great to get out in front of them for the first time this year, put the pads on and go out there and play a game. For me, all the games feel the same, so it will be good to go out there and get some work in.”

Webb has now called two preseason games — last week’s win in Atlanta and last year’s home victory against the Cardinals — but Nix did not play in either. That means Friday will mark the first time the team’s new play caller, who served as Denver’s quarterbacks coach the previous two seasons, will be in Nix’s ear during a game. It will be a brief period of work before Nix moves to the sideline, but it’s nonetheless an important next step for a quarterback who had two offseason ankle surgeries.

“He hasn’t played in a while, so just get all those feels back, from pregame warmups to running out with the team,” Webb said. “Getting your first completion, getting ahead for the first time, hopefully a touchdown. Just feel those emotions, deep breathe it out and then go watch the rest of the guys play.”