The Denver Broncos’ defense got off to a slow start to training camp on Friday, but it bounced back immediately on Saturday.

When Bo Nix dropped back for the first pass attempt of the day in team drills, Justin Strnad blitzed up the middle for what could have been a sack in a game environment. At the very least, Strnad would have popped Nix in the ribs as he released the ball.

Since the defense isn’t allowed to hit the quarterback, Nix was free to lob the ball 25 yards upfield to Pat Bryant who waited for the ball to drop out of the sky. Kris Abrams-Draine was in single coverage, and Bryant separated right before the ball arrived to make the grab and run down the field.

The crowd went wild for the big play, but the defense won the down. Plays like this one were the story of the day; the defense gets pressure that should end the play, but the offense occasionally made something happen after the play was over.

For example, later on in practice Jonah Elliss got to Nix for a sack, but since sacks don’t end the play in training camp, Nix was free to lob a deep ball over the top to Lil’Jordan Humphrey for a big gain.

The pressure came from all directions. Elliss had that sack and swatted another ball away at the line of scrimmage. Zach Allen batted a ball. Nik Bonitto had a sack. Dondrea Tillman had a sack. Tycen Anderson had a sack. Sometimes the chaos in the backfield made it tough to tell who got home first.

The pass rush is often ahead of the offensive line early in training camp, so Saturday’s results shouldn’t come as a surprise. Still, it’s great to see the league’s top pass rush play to its capabilities. Production is coming from all over the depth chart. 

Notes from practice

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