QB Scoreboard: Bo Nix and Jarrett Stidham lead field-goal drives to end Day 16 of Denver Broncos Training Camp

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — To be completely honest, training camp doesn’t hit the same after an actual game, even if it’s a preseason game.

The Denver Broncos didn’t help matters by holding an unpadded practice Wednesday, their first since they won their preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts 34-30 on Sunday.

The practice last 2-1/2. It wasn’t the most competitive practice of camp, although it did have a competitive two-minute drill to cap the day off.

The Broncos will practice again Thursday ahead of their joint practice with the Green Bay Packers on Friday and preseason game against the Packers on Sunday.

Here’s what happened on Wednesday…

Quarterback Scoreboard

The Broncos’ final segment of practice was a two-minute drill.

The offense had the ball at the defense’s 43-yard line with no timeouts and 1:12 on the clock. The offense was down 3-0 with 1:12 left in the game. They needed a field goal to send the game to overtime or a touchdown to win.

Bo Nix: B

Bo Nix put together a solid day.

He kept the ball off of the ground during seven-on-sevens, although they were all short passes.

In early team periods, Nix hit Tim Patrick on a play-action boot left for about seven yards or so. On a 3rd & 3 in red zone drills, Nix hit Josh Reynolds for a 12-yard touchdown on a slant.

Nix’s two-minuted drill got off to a rough start. He hit Samaje Perine for a three-yard gain that started the clock. The offense rushed to the line and Nix threw an incompletion.

All of a sudden, Nix only had 49 seconds and he was facing a 3rd & 7. Nix threw a strike to Tim Patrick past Ja’Quan McMillian for 19 yards. The Broncos rushed to the line and spiked the ball. The Broncos were at the 25-yard line with 16 seconds left.

Three incompletions later, Wil Lutz trotted onto the field and hit a 42-yard field goal.

Jarrett Stidham: B

Jarrett Stidham‘s two-minute drill was sharper than Nix’s.

The veteran opened things up with a pair off passes to Audric Estime and Devaughn Vele to move his offense across midfield to the 39-yard line. Since both players got out of bounds, 59 seconds remained on the clock.

Stidham went to Vele again, this time past Kris Abrams-Draine up the sideline for a 34-yard gain. For what it’s worth, Reese Taylor had a great blitz and may have gotten to the quarterback.

After a spike, the Broncos were at the five-yard line with 43 seconds left.

On second down, Stidham went to Marvin Mims, but this time Abrams-Draine got the best of him and forced an incompletion.

On third down, Stidham tried a desperation lob for Vele in the back of the end zone with Riley Moss fronting him. The ball was high and incomplete.

He left a 22-yard field goal to send the game to overtime, but the Broncos didn’t actually attempt the kick in the drill.

Stidham’s low point was an off-target ball to Tim Patrick over the middle that Abrams-Draine could have intercepted.

Zach Wilson: B

Zach Wilson‘s day started with a great seven-on-seven session.

He hit Troy Franklin with a perfect 45-yard deep ball that should have been a touchdown, but Franklin dropped the pass.

He had three other good balls that should have been caught, but one bounced off of David Sills V‘s hands and was intercepted by Omar Brown.

In team drills, Wilson hit a wide-open Michael Bandy on a deep ball from the slot for a deep touchdown with Reese Taylor in coverage. Taylor got him back by batting a ball away later in team drills.

Wilson didn’t get a chance in the two-minute drill.

GPAs
Average of daily grades.

Jarrett Stidham: 2.81 (B-)
Bo Nix: 2.58 (B-)
Zach Wilson: 2.13 (C)

One-on-ones

• On the first play of one-on-ones, Courtland Sutton went deep down the sideline, but Patrick Surtain II got a hand in at the last moment and pulled the ball away for an incompletion. Sutton beat Surtain on a well-contested comeback.
  
  
• Damarri Mathis forced a deep incompletion to Phillip Dorsett. Tim Patrick beat Mathis on a post.
  
  
• David Sills V beat Ja’Quan McMillian deep for a touchdown. Then Sills beat McMillian on a slant.
  
  
• Riley Moss covered a cross from Tim Patrick well and tipped the ball out of the receiver’s hands, but Patrick caught the ball a second time and held on. Phillip Dorsett beat Moss on a beautiful out route. Brandon Johnson beat Moss on a slant.
  
  
• Brandon Johnson made a great cut at the top of a curl and created massive separation from Damarri Mathis.
  
  
• Devaughn Vele made a great catch on the way to the ground deep down the sideline pas Kris Abrams-Draine. Vele mossed Abrams-Draine on their next rep.
  
  
• Troy Franklin was physical at the top of a curl to clear space for a catch, and then caught a deep ball after it bounced off the defender’s helmet, but he might have been out of bounds.
  
  
• Lil’Jordan Humphrey created a window on a back-shoulder pass past Reese Taylor, but the pass missed. Humphrey boxed out Taylor on a slant.
  
  
• Michael Bandy beat Quinton Newsome on a cross. Then Newsome beat Bandy on a corner.
  
  
• Josh Reynolds couldn’t bring in a back-shoulder pass through physical defense.