Broncos Camp Day 13: Fights Break Out, Bo Nix Involved

Day 13 of Denver Broncos training camp was hot, both literally and figuratively.

Back in full pads on Tuesday, tempers flared as the dog days of camp are upon the Broncos. With only one more practice to go before the Broncos host the Green Bay Packers in their second preseason game on Friday, let's go through the news and notes from Day 13, including the fights that broke out, involving some of the team's star players.

Melee Ensues, Blood is Shed

Tuesday's entire practice was intense and chippy. Rookie tight end Justin Joly was involved in a skirmish with four defensive teammates early in the day, per 9NEWS' Mike Klis. A bit later, Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, and Malcolm Roach collapsed the pocket around Nix, knocking the quarterback to the turf.

Nix was fine, but he jumped up quite angry and threw the ball in Roach's direction as the veteran defensive tackle was loudly celebrating the play, per The Denver Post's Parker Gabriel. With the temperature rising, Alex Singleton picked off Nix, though running back RJ Harvey was able to punch the ball out (Klis), and from there, a melee ensued among the linemen.

The massive scrum turned into a big pile of players, and perhaps still a bit hot under the collar, Nix ran over and grabbed Bonitto's leg to pull him off the pile (Stevens), which set off another skirmish. Bonitto had to be held back by teammates.

As the coaches and cooler heads finally prevailed, center Calvin Throckmorton — who once again ran with the first-team offense on Tuesday — got to his feet bleeding from the head, per Klis, and was escorted off the field by trainers with an ice pack above his eye.

After things cooled down, all the involved parties, including Nix and Bonitto, were back on the field for what remained of the team periods of practice. The defense ended up getting the last word, so to speak, by keeping Nix and the first-team offense out of the end zone during the two-minute drill to end practice.

Nix seemed his usual affable self at the podium following Tuesday's heated session, no worse for the wear.

"I love it," Nix said of the heated moments. "It's football, and it's getting me ready for the games coming up. It's a physical practice out there played by physical people, so it got intense. We were just really enjoying it. Sometimes in the dog days of summer, practice gets long, and the intensity runs high."

Vance Joseph Weighs In

The Broncos' defensive coordinator made it clear after practice that he doesn't want to see his players "cross the line," and under no circumstances should the team's franchise quarterback — Bo Nix — be hitting the turf. This was the second time since camp started that Nix hit the turf because of the pass rush, and Roach was involved in both incidents.

“Listen, Coach [Sean] Payton talks about how to practice from Day 1, and we all know on defense to avoid the quarterback," Joseph said on Tuesday. "It gets competitive, obviously, and guys are rushing to win the down, and sometimes they get too close. We simply remind them: ‘Bo’s our quarterback, and we don’t want anyone near Bo.’”

Joseph may want to have a serious face-to-face meeting with Roach to emphasize that point more forecefully. One time can be viewed as happenstance; twice reflects a pattern.

Jaylen Waddle Practices During Team Period

Waddle returned to practice on Monday, but it was not a padded session. Fast forward to Tuesday, and he practiced in pads, including during team period.

Waddle caught a 30-yard dime from Nix during team period, a pass down the left sideline that hit the receiver in stride for a big play (Stevens). There's a chance fans may get their first look at Waddle in Friday night's game vs. the Packers. Nix will play, so time will tell on Waddle.

Injury Update

Wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. and center Luke Wattenberg took steps forward on Day 13, after missing all of last week's practices and the preseason opener. Mims and Wattenberg practiced in pads through individual period and walkthrough before heading to the side field.

It was good to see Wattenberg out there snapping to Nix during walkthroughs. We'll see on Wednesday whether Wattenberg and Mims can make further progress in returning to full participation in practice.

Meanwhile, outside linebacker Drew Sanders, center Alex Forsyth, wide receiver Michael Bandy, linebacker Levelle Bailey, and tight end Caleb Lohner did not practice on Day 13. Tuesday marked the second straight practice that Sanders has missed, which is concerning given his injury history, but especially after he notched a sack in the preseason opener.

Bailey broke his leg in Friday night's preseason opener, so we didn't expect to see him out there. Forsyth's absence was curious after he returned to practice on Monday and even took some snaps during team period. Forsyth was not present on Tuesday, per Gabriel.

Day 13's Winners

Denver Broncos wide receiver Troy Franklin (11) pulls in a pass during training camp at Broncos Park. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Troy Franklin | WR
Taurean York | LB
Gavin Ortega | C
Tyler Onyedim | DL

Franklin made some big plays on Tuesday, including a diving catch on a pass from Sam Ehlinger and a touchdown in traffic from Nix (Stevens). The opportunities seem to be diminished somewhat for Franklin this summer, but he continues to make the most of what targets he gets.

York "de-cleated" fellow rookie Justin Joly, per KOA's Ryan Edwards, laying a massive hit. York looked good in the preseason opener, and it would appear he's carrying that momentum forward into Week 2.

Ortega makes the list because he was bumped up to first-team center after Throckmorton exited with that cut on his head. As an undrafted rookie, Ortega has been given a much bigger bite at the apple than he or the Broncos could have imagined.

Onyedim made a great play, sniffing out a screen and knifing through blockers quickly for a would-be sack on Nix (Stevens). The rookie third-rounder continues to impress.

Day 13's Losers

Sean Payton and Justin Joly. — Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton talks with tight end Justin Joly at rookie minicamp. | Ben Swanson/Denver Broncos

Cameron Ross | WR
Justin Joly | TE
Riley Moss | CB
Malcolm Roach | DL
Nik Bonitto | OLB
Jonathon Cooper | OLB
Bo Nix | QB

Ross continues to be a featured weapon with Mims out during team period, which is great for the undrafted rookie. But he dropped a pass on Tuesday (Gabriel).

Joly had a rough day. He was involved in one early scrum, got rocked by York, and later dropped a deep pass over the middle that hit him right in the breadbasket (Klis).

Courtland Sutton had a big day, but we expect that from the Pro Bowl receiver. He made a big catch over Moss on a pass of 20-plus yards, skying up and over the cornerback to haul in the ball (Stevens). Moss got Moss'd, pardon the pun.

Roach, Bonitto, Cooper, and Nix make the "losers" column for losing their cool in practice. Some might feel that the defensive guys were more in the wrong for perhaps starting things with their knock-down of Nix, but the young quarterback lost his cool at a couple points, too. Not a day to be proud of for any of these young veterans.

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