The Denver Broncos had their first real fight of training camp on Day 13 of practice.
An initial skirmish was started by rookie tight end Justin Joly, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. A few plays later, Joly caught a pass and was “de-cleated” by rookie linebacker Taurean York, much to the delight of Denver’s defense.
Things only heated up from there.
Later in practice, defensive lineman Malcolm Roach and outside linebacker Nik Bonitto collapsed the pocket so much that quarterback Bo Nix was knocked down. That marked the second time this summer that Roach has been involved in Nix going to the ground, and the quarterback was “PISSED” and threw the ball, according to DNVR’s Zac Stevens. (Defenders are not allowed to make contact with the quarterback during practice.)
Tempers were flaring and Bonitto was sent to the sideline to cool off. Fortunately, Nix was fine and connected with Courtland Sutton one play later. Shortly after that, Nix threw an interception to linebacker Alex Singleton. The ball was stripped on Singleton’s return, and a “melee” ensued, according to Klis. An angry Nix was held back by teammates after the QB pulled Bonitto off a pile, according to Stevens.
The dust-up left backup offensive lineman Calvin Trockmorton bleeding on his face, and he went into the locker room with trainers with an ice pack above his left eye, according to Klis.
That was the first real fight of the summer for the Broncos, and perhaps the biggest fight of the Sean Payton era in Denver. One can only imagine the coach won’t be happy about it. Payton was not scheduled to speak with the media after Tuesday’s practice, but defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said players “can’t cross the line,” and he doesn’t want any defenders going near Nix during practice (even if the QB embraced it).
“I love it,” Nix said after practice. “It’s football. It’s getting me ready for the games coming up.”
Nix is set to make his 2026 debut in Friday’s preseason game against the Green Bay Packers. That will mark Nix’s first live-game action since he broke his ankle in the divisional round of the 2025 NFL playoffs in January.
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