Bo Nix Reacts to Heated Broncos Practice After Nik Bonitto Altercation, 'I Love It'

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix isn't too concerned that things got heated during his team's Tuesday practice.

In fact, he loved it.

"I love it," he told reporters. "It's football. … The game's coming up, and it's a physical practice out there played by physical people. It got intense and we were just really enjoying it. Sometimes in the dog days of summer, practice gets long and the intensity gets high."

His comments were in response to an altercation with linebacker Nik Bonitto.

Zac Stevens of DNVR Sports described it as the Broncos' "first real fight of training camp" and said Nix was upset he was sacked and taken to the ground and "grabbed Nik Bonitto's leg and pulled him off the pile."

The linebacker was then held back by multiple teammates.

While Nix and Bonitto were the primary players involved or at least the catalysts to the situation, Stevens reported offensive lineman Calvin Throckmorton was looked at by trainers after he was left bleeding from the fight.

Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post described the fight as the "most heated I've seen in the Sean Payton era."

Training camp fights are basically a rite of passage in the NFL. They happen often and with a number of different teams. The days are long, the weather is typically hot and the players surely reach a point where their frustration boils over.

Still, having such an intense one involving the franchise quarterback is notable.

Denver cannot afford an injury to Nix, as last season's AFC Championship Game revealed. Jarrett Stidham took over for an injured Nix against the New England Patriots and led the Broncos to a mere seven points in an ugly offensive performance.

They could have made the Super Bowl had they managed even another field goal in regulation, as Denver's dominant defense held New England to just 10 points on the other side.

Keeping Nix, who threw for 3,931 yards and 25 touchdowns last season, healthy is one of the most important things of the entire training camp for the Broncos. It will, of course, be easier to do that if he isn't involved in any more scuffles and fights before the team opens the regular season on Sept. 14 against the rival Kansas City Chiefs.

But the quarterback made it clear he was a fan of the heated practice Tuesday.