Bo Nix After Chippy Broncos Practice Includes Scuffle, Qb On Ground: 'i Love It'

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — On Friday against the Green Bay Packers, Bo Nix will play his first live football since fracturing his ankle Jan. 17 in the divisional round of the playoffs.

But Tuesday during a training camp practice, the Broncos quarterback got an early taste of contact.

Defensive end Malcolm Roach and linebacker Nik Bonitto rushed the left side of Denver's offensive line, collapsing left tackle Garett Bolles and left guard Ben Powers into Nix.

Nix was knocked down on the play, an occurrence NFL teams beg their players to avoid in practices.

And as Roach celebrated the play, Nix threw a football at him.

"We all know on defense to avoid the quarterback," defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said. "It gets competitive, obviously, and guys are rushing to win the down, and sometimes they get too close and simply we remind them. But Bo's our quarterback and we don't want anyone near Bo."

The tension would simmer still further.

Two plays later, as Nix threw an interception, a tussle broke out with a helmetless Calvin Throckmorton at the bottom of the pile. As more linemen joined the scuffle, Bonitto jumped on right tackle Mike McGlinchey. Nix yanked on Bonitto's leg to pull Bonitto off his right tackle.

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Coaches sent messages after practice about crossing the line.

"I'm glad that we're fiery, I love the competition out here," offensive coordinator Davis Webb said. But "we can't cross that line, and that's offense and defense. That's not just one person, one position group. 

"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."

Nix has participated fully throughout training camp after two offseason surgeries to repair and then treat bone spurs in his right ankle. Broncos coaches and personnel staff consider him fully recovered, play calls reflecting that progress including a Tuesday team-drill snap on which he escaped and ran to his right before checking the ball down to running back RJ Harvey.

Despite the knockdown, Nix appeared uninjured and unfazed when he met with reporters at the podium after practice.

"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. So it got intense and we were just really enjoying it. And sometimes in the dog days of summer, practice gets long and the intensity runs high."