A late-practice interaction between Denver Broncos defensive lineman Malcolm Roach and Bo Nix could been much worse than the final result.
During the Broncos‘ fifth day of camp (and third day of padded practice), Roach broke one of the most important rules of training camp: Don’t touch the quarterbacks. Especially a starting quarterback. Roach ended up accidentally sacking Nix in the end zone for a would-be safety, rolling up on Nix’s lower body.
That sentence alone would make any Denver fan hold their breath. Even the players held their breath. “It got quiet,” veteran defensive lineman D.J. Jones said after practice. “It got quiet real quick.” Thankfully, Nix popped right back up from the contact.
Jones defended Roach, who is a well-liked member of the team. “He wasn’t trying to tackle Bo,” Jones said. According to Jones, there will be no repercussions for Roach for hitting Nix, because Roach was doing everything he was supposed to do.
While all is good with Roach, there is a massive understanding on the team that Nix is the central factor between the Broncos being Super Bowl contenders, or missing the playoffs entirely.
The defense has largely stifled Denver’s first-team offense through recent days of training camp. If the offense can begin to click with all of their weapons in place and unhurt, the team could really thrive in a make-or-break season for coaches and players.
Needless to say, there may be an even bigger focus on the defense not touching the quarterbacks during camp going forward.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Malcolm Roach took Bo Nix to ground at practice (but all’s OK)
