Bo Nix, Broncos QBs sharp in competitive joint practice vs. Packers

Attendance

Did not practice: Physically Unable to Perform list — S Delarrin Turner-Yell (knee) and LB Drew Sanders (Achilles). Injured reserve — OL Quinn Bailey (ankle/leg), OLB Ronnie Perkins. Out — CB Art Green (concussion), CB Levi Wallace (hamstring), WR Devaughn Vele.

Vele was held out as a precaution, head coach Sean Payton said. Vele dropped out of practice Thursday, but Payton said he could return and play Sunday in the preseason game.

QB Race Today

The trio of Broncos quarterbacks had solid moments against Green Bay in a spirited, 2-hour, 10-minute joint practice. Bo Nix took the first reps in each period throughout the practice ahead of his start Sunday in the preseason game. He played mostly in rhythm and made good decisions despite a Packers front that was disruptive throughout the day.

Stidham was steady, though he had a couple of errant throws after he appeared to hit his right hand on a helmet during an early team period. He finished practice, but that could be worth watching.

Wilson continues to look more and more comfortable and overall again challenged for the best day of the trio.

Top Plays

Nix on the money: On the first play of a team red zone situation, Bo Nix fired a laser of a slant to Phillip Dorsett for a touchdown through tight coverage. The rookie quarterback hit his back foot and cut it loose on time and on the money. Ball placement in the middle of the field has been an occasional issue for Nix through camp and the preseason opener, but this was a legitimate, NFL red zone touchdown. Impressive stuff.

Reese Taylor records big-time turnover: Broncos cornerback Reese Taylor continued his strong camp with an interception during the two-minute period. Packers quarterback Sean Clifford threw the ball deep down the field, where Taylor secured the ball with both hands as he applied tight coverage on the wide receiver.

Thumbs Up

Young and hungry: Sean Payton has said consistently throughout camp that he thinks his team is “young and hungry” and that combination can be dangerous. It’s just one joint practice in the middle of August, but Denver was up for a battle Friday against a Green Bay team that’s expected to contend in the NFC this fall. That can’t hurt.

Bonitto brings the heat: Broncos outside linebacker Nik Bonitto couldn’t be denied on Friday. He had multiple pressures during the team period, including a play where he got to the backfield and forced Packers quarterback Jordan Love to throw a pick-six to Alex Singleton.

Thumbs Down

JL Skinner drops an easy interception: Sean Clifford could’ve had two interceptions during the two-minute period, but second-year safety JL Skinner failed to convert the turnover. Skinner leaped and had the ball in his hands, but lost it as he hit the ground.

Procedural notes: Denver’s had issues all training camp with procedure penalties, alignment misses, false starts, etc. Basically, operation issues at the line of scrimmage. It continued Friday against the Packers with a couple of flags at the line. Sean Payton believes the cadence stuff will abate once he picks a starting quarterback. There are a lot of players rolling through formations and reps, but still, that’s an area this team needs to be much crisper with a month from now.

Odds and Ends

• Denver’s defense was physical, landing hits that could be heard through Broncos Park. Alex Singleton made a loud stop on Packers running back Josh Jacobs that generated some oohs and ahhs from the crowd. Later, Packers wideout Romeo Doubs thought he had a completion before safety Devon Key stormed in and forced the ball out of his hands.

• Jordan Love had a rough day. He was either off-target or had his pass attempts broken up by the secondary. That’s a credit to Denver’s defense as a whole for putting a ton of pressure on Love and applying air-tight coverage on the wide receivers.

• OLB Baron Browning’s dominance on the edge translated to the joint practice. He had a couple of pressures on Love, forcing him to throw an incomplete pass on one play. If Browning’s performance during training camp is a sign of what’s to come in the regular season, Denver’s pass rush will look a lot different compared to a year ago.

• One point of contention during practice was whether Nik Bonitto hit Love’s arm on the Singleton interception. Packers coach Matt LaFleur was hot when it happened, and Bonitto appeared to plead innocence. Love himself backed Bonitto’s account after practice.

“That’s one of those ones that I gotta go back and see, but I believe I was going to throw, and (Packers tackle) Zach Tom just got pushed and hit my shoulder,” he said. “I don’t think it was anything with the D-line or anything like that. I think it was friendly fire.”

• The only other real dust-up came during a special teams period and it was, funny enough, between Broncos safety Devon Key and Packers long snapper Matt Orzech. Orzech was apparently so fired up that on his next snap he fired the ball way over his own punter’s head and through the end zone.