The Broncos sustained their first major injury loss of training camp Wednesday when offensive lineman Quinn Bailey fractured his right ankle during a 9-on-7 drill.
Head coach Sean Payton confirmed the fracture, though it was clear immediately that Bailey had sustained a major injury. Players reacted by looking away after the pile cleared and training staff immediately put an air cast over his lower right leg, moved Bailey onto a cart and took him to a waiting ambulance.
“(The fracture) was definitely apparent,” Payton said. “I’m not sure of the timeline relative to surgery, but that’s always tough to see and to be a part of when you’re at practice. It’s one of the sometimes bitter realities of our game. He was having a real good camp.”
Indeed, Bailey had cemented himself a place on the 53-man roster, Payton said. The fifth-year lineman played in all 17 games last year, mostly on special teams and as the offense’s jumbo tight end.
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“He’s a tremendous teammate,” Payton said. “A guy that all he does is work his tail off. The progress he made a year ago and all of a sudden, we were just discussing the roster the other day and he was easily for us lineman six. Someone who was going to be involved in the gameplan, jumbo (tight end).”
Instead, Bailey faces an extended absence.
Practice stopped for about five minutes after the injury. The offensive line, in particular, gathered up together for several minutes.
“He’ll have the support of everyone here,” Payton said.
Added tight end Greg Dulcich, “It’s devastating and you can only pray for him. The kind of guy he is, he’s going to attack the rehab and make sure he’s doing everything.”
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Jones not worried about contract: D.J. Jones is among a handful of Broncos players entering a contract year this fall.
The 29-year-old interior defensive lineman is entering the eighth year of his NFL career and his third season with the Broncos. It’s the final year of a $30 million deal he signed with Denver in 2022. He can make up to $10 million in base salary ($9.49 million) and roster bonuses ($510,000), but none of the money is guaranteed at this juncture.
“I’m in Year 8, man, I’m just playing football at this point,” Jones said Wednesday. “I want to dominate every day and get better every day. I’m not even thinking about that. I’ve done that before and it’s backfired on me. So I learned my lesson. I won’t be thinking about contracts.”
Preseason work for starters: Payton confirmed Wednesday that starters will once again play in preseason games this year for Denver.
That’s the way he operated last year and he said he thinks it’s an important part of preparing for the 17-game regular season.
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“We’re going to play our starters in the preseason,” he said. “I think it’s important to build callous. I think it’s important. Obviously, you weigh the reps. So Week 1 it’ll be a certain amount of snaps. Week 2 the same and then we’ll see where we’re at Week 3.”
Denver’s first preseason game is Aug. 11 at Indianapolis and then the team hosts Green Bay (Aug. 18) and Arizona (Aug. 25).
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The Denver Broncos’ run in the NFL Playoffs did not go as planned, but the season was still a success for rookie quarterback Bo Nix, who lived up to expectations as a first-round pick.
While the Broncos season ended on the wrong end of a blowout loss, the future is bright at Mile High.
One of the people who was front and center throughout Nix’s rookie campaign was his wife Izzy Nix, who cheered him on throughout the year and was his biggest support system.
MORE: Bo Nix’s wife Izzy celebrates rookie NFL season with artsy photo of Broncos QB
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Now that the season is over, Izzy is looking back and reflecting on some of the best moments from Bo’s first year in the league.
She shared the video recap of her rookie WAG season on TikTok.
Izzy Nix/TikTok
MORE: Bo Nix’s wife Izzy, Broncos WAGs & QBs enjoy matching pj party with hilarious socks
Izzy Nix/TikTok
MORE: Bo Nix’s wife Izzy swoons over Drake Maye, Ann Michael Hudson engagement pics
Izzy Nix/TikTok
MORE: Livvy Dunne drops epic photodump of rookie WAG season, Paul Skenes
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Izzy Nix/TikTok
What a year it was.
MORE: Bo Nix’s wife Izzy’s epic photo with Zach Wilson’s fiancée, Broncos WAGs after loss
Nix finished his rookie campaign with 3,775 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions while adding 430 yards and four scores on the ground.
Izzy Nix/Instagram
Izzy and Bo met at Auburn University in the summer of 2020 when he was the team’s star quarterback and she was a cheerleader. The two have been inseparable since and were eventually married in the summer of 2022.
Now that the season is over, Bo and Izzy will get to enjoy some couples getaways to make up for the time they spent apart during the successful year.
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— Enjoy free dish of rich and fabulous players with The Athlete Lifestyle on SI —
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Denver Nuggets (24-16, fourth in the Western Conference) vs. Miami Heat (20-19, ninth in the Eastern Conference)
Miami; Friday, 8 p.m. EST
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BOTTOM LINE: Denver hits the road against Miami aiming to extend its four-game road winning streak.
The Heat are 10-7 in home games. Miami is ninth in the Eastern Conference with 15.1 fast break points per game led by Tyler Herro averaging 3.7.
The Nuggets are 12-8 in road games. Denver is 6-4 in one-possession games.
The Heat are shooting 45.5% from the field this season, 0.9 percentage points lower than the 46.4% the Nuggets allow to opponents. The Nuggets are shooting 50.0% from the field, 4.0% higher than the 46.0% the Heat’s opponents have shot this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Herro is averaging 24.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and five assists for the Heat.
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Russell Westbrook is scoring 13.2 points per game and averaging 5.1 rebounds for the Nuggets.
LAST 10 GAMES: Heat: 5-5, averaging 109.2 points, 44.0 rebounds, 27.5 assists, 8.0 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 46.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 110.9 points per game.
Nuggets: 7-3, averaging 119.7 points, 47.3 rebounds, 30.5 assists, 8.3 steals and 5.5 blocks per game while shooting 49.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 111.9 points.
INJURIES: Heat: Dru Smith: out for season (achilles), Josh Richardson: day to day (heel).
Nuggets: Aaron Gordon: day to day (calf), DaRon Holmes II: out for season (achilles), Nikola Jokic: day to day (elbow), Vlatko Cancar: out (knee).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
It’s official, Denver is getting it’s next major park. CBS News Colorado reported this would come to fruition ahead of the now official announcement on Wednesday.
CBS
Over the past 7 years, the defunct Park Hill Golf Course has inspired turf wars between open space advocates and developers.
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Now, the 155-acre property is back in the hands of the city after Mayor Mike Johnston entered a land swap. The developer gets property to build out in Adams County, and the city gets to create a brand new regional park.
In a land swap deal with developers, the former Park Hill Golf course will become a city park, and residents who have been battling to make this a reality say it is a dream come true.
“I kind of can’t believe it,” said Amy Harris, a longtime advocate for the park and a member of Save Open Space Denver.
The park, which was once a golf course where even some of the best golfers like Tiger Woods had set foot in, will now be a space where residents can enjoy the open space.
For Denver resident Mike Fernandez, it will be a place where he will be able to continue to bird watch.
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“There were a few that I don’t see anywhere else, like songbirds,” Fernandez said. “I was really trying to keep track of that to see the impact if there were development here they would be gone.”
Fernandez says he has tracked 18 different bird species near and around the golf course.
The property is returning to the people after years of advocacy by leaders such as former Mayor Wellington Webb, organizations such as Save Open Space Denver and a number of community members.
“I mean, it’s the best-case scenario,” Harris said. “It’s what we’ve been asking for since the beginning.”
The city looks to work with the community to jot down their long-term vision for the space and design plans for the near future.
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“I think the battle was really bringing folks to the table about the commitment to green spaces and understanding the impacts and the long-term to our climate to long term sustainability,” said Councilwoman Shontel Lewis of District 8.
It was all possible through an acre-for acre land exchange agreement, where Denver will trade undeveloped, industrial property near the airport for the Park Hill property — which is currently owned by Westside Investment Partners.
“There was an internal transfer of about $12.7 million within the city from parks and rec. to the airport that comes from the Park’s Legacy Fund for the acquisition,” Mayor Johnston explained. “The trade is made between Denver and the current owner for this site without any cash payment.”
In 2023, voters rejected a plan to develop the property with housing.
Johnston reassures Denverites the city will continue to work toward developing affordable housing nearby, while maintaining community jewels like this soon-to-be park.
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“We know there’s a housing shortage in Denver,” Johnston said. “We look to add more housing stock; we want to make sure that housing stock is affordable to people living in Denver right now.”
This historic deal in Denver now becomes the largest single city acquisition of private land for a public park.
“What we need to do today is celebrate that we maintain the Park Hill Golf Course in Denver for Denver,” Webb said.
Johnston now looks to work with Adams County commissioners and Denver City Council to approve the land exchange and begin the process. City officials say the new park is expected to be open to the public by this summer.
“I cant wait for the time where we can all gather together in the park when it’s really park and get to celebrate together,” Harris said.
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