The Denver Broncos wrapped up Thursday’s practice on a day where the physicality wasn’t as present as the first three days of pads, but that’s because the team was in shells. Even with the physicality toned down a little bit, the competition was still red hot as the offense and defense had a red zone emphasis on the afternoon.
Denver Broncos QBs solid on Day 8 of camp
Thursday’s practice was an ultra-competitive day for the Denver Broncos as they embraced one-on-ones before transitioning to 7-on-7 and team period. With an emphasis on red zone, the offense and defense had several standouts on the day.
The quarterback rotation went to Jarrett Stidham, Zach Wilson, and Bo Nix.
7-on-7 highlights from Broncos Camp
Stidham saw the first reps of 7-on-7 competing against Denver’s first-team defense. He connected on two out of four passes in the period to Courtland Sutton and Javonte Williams. Stidham attempted to look for Lil’Jordan Humphrey up the seam for a touchdown, but Caden Sterns made a terrific play on the football, knocking it incomplete. He looked for Humphrey once again on the final play of his series, but Ja’Quan McMillian, who had a terrific day himself, knocked it away.
Wilson received the second QB reps of the day, connecting on one pass to Nate Adkins on the first play. His second attempt was dropped by Blake Watson, who made his return from the NFI list. Wilson’s final two pass attempts went to Josh Reynolds and Humphrey, but second-year cornerback Riley Moss had two straight pass breakups in coverage — part of his big day as well.
Nix went last. His first throw to Watson was dropped but was placed a little bit low. He threw an absolute dime of a throw to Troy Franklin in the back of the endzone, where it was placed high and in the right spot but went through the rookie receiver’s hands. Nix’s final throw of the series was a throwaway due to good coverage by Denver’s secondary.
Broncos highlights from Day 8’s team period
Rookie wide receiver Devaughn Vele hauled in the play of the day from Nix in the first team period of the day. Nix evaded pressure from an outside linebacker, sidestepped, and stepped up in the pocket to deliver the throw, allowing Vele to go up and get it for a touchdown.
Williams continued his streak of strong days at practice. Although there weren’t lower pads being worn, he still had burst in between the tackles and outside. This should hopefully kill any speculation about his roster status that never had any real substance to begin with.
Ja’Quan McMillian had great coverage on one play against Tim Patrick down the sideline but stayed tight on his hip pocket and forced an incompletion.
Humphrey continues to stack days, hauling in passes from Stidham and Wilson on the day.
Former UFL star Dondrea Tillman had several notable pressures on the afternoon and would have had a clear sack on Wilson after he beat Matt Peart on the play.
Aside from his TD throw to Vele, Nix had a solid day, connecting with Jalen Virgil, Brandon Johnson, and Michael Bandy during the various team periods. He’s showcasing consistency with his decision making, getting the ball out of his hands quickly, and being decisive with where he’s going. I haven’t seen much hesitancy from him post-snap since OTAs and that’s a promising development.
The Denver Broncos will be back at it again on Friday for Day 9 of training camp.