ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos‘ eighth day of training camp is in the books. Here are my raw notes released minutes after practice wrapped up.
DEFENSE SHUTS DOWN SCRIMMAGE
—Saturday was the most scrimmage-like practice the Broncos will have in training camp
—Despite missing a number of key players to veteran rest days, the defense did not take the day off
—Right off the bat, the defense dominated
—The first play of team, Malcolm Roach came up with a sack on Bo Nix. Just a few plays later, Que Robinson got Denver’s starting quarterback
—Denver’s defense limited the air game and the ground game all practice
—In a tight red zone period, Vance Joseph’s defense kept Davis Webb’s offense out of the end zone on five-straight plays, before allowing two touchdowns (details below)
—The in the final move-the-ball period, Nix and the offense were down 24-20 with 1:22 left in the 4th quarter and the ball on their own 38-yard line. They needed a touchdown
—Nix moved the ball down to the defense’s 15-yard line. Facing a 4th-and-10 with one second left, Nix couldn’t complete the final pass. The defense won
PATTY ICE PLAY OF CAMP
—Pat Bryant has a new nickname after he was arguably the biggest winner the first week of camp
—Davis Webb gave Bryant the nickname Patty Ice
—Patty Ice made arguably the play of camp so far
—In the tight red zone, Nix was under immediate pressure after the snap. Bo tossed the ball into the back of the end zone. In double coverage by Ja’Quan McMillian and Jahdae Barron, Pat Bryant somehow happened to come down with the ball in the back of the end zone, get his toes in and make the catch for the touchdown
—Pat got up and threw the ball sky high in celebration
COLEMAN COOKIN’
—While Denver’s offense had a tough day overall, rookie running back Jonah Coleman was a bright spot
—Coleman displayed good vision and patience on a number of runs inside the tackles
—His highlight of the day was powering in for a touchdown in the tight red zone against the first-team defense
—Quinn Meinerz was so proud of Coleman’s effort at the goal line, he was the first to greet him in the end zone
NEW INJURY
—Minutes before practice ended, Enyi Uwazurike walked off the field with a trainer
—Following practice, Vance Joseph praised the defensive lineman’s camp, specifically the past two days
—No update was given after practice
EMERGENCY
—With Wil Lutz in Canton, Ohio attending Drew Brees’ Hall-of-Fame ceremony, the Broncos were without a kicker for Saturday’s practice
—We got our first look at who could be Denver’s emergency kicker
—And it was not punter Jeremy Crawshaw, as Darren Rizzi made it clear after practice he’s a punter, not a kicker
—Instead, it was safety Brandon Jones who got the nod due to his soccer background
—Jones went an impressive 3-for-4 on kicks between 30 and 40 yards
—After practice, Rizzi said Jones is one of the Broncos’ options to be the emergency kicker, not the only option
OTHER NEWS AND NOTES
—Due to rest days and injuries, a number of Broncos did not practice
—Jaylen Waddle did not practice, but took a positive step in his recovery. He attended practice and for the first time was not wearing a sleeve on his leg. He was jogging without a limp
—Other players who did not practice included Marvin Mims, Luke Wattenberg, Caleb Lohner, Nate Adkins and Matt Henningsen
—A number of players also got vet rest days including, Pat Surtain, Mike McGlinchey, Talanoa Hufanga, Evan Engram, J.K. Dobbins, and Zach Allen
—Following practice, Vance Joseph praised Bo Nix’s deep ball ability saying it’s been “off the charts” in training camp
—Joseph also said that Riley Moss is on track to have a really good year
—The defensive coordinator also said he doesn’t believe takeaways will be an issue for Denver’s defense this year
—Davis Webb stated he would “like to be on the field” this year to call plays, but he and Sean Payton are still discussing and working through that
—Terrible news: Henningsen tore his Achilles during Friday’s practice exactly one year after tearing it the first time, a source told DNVR
