Training Camp Observations: Bolles and Chubb fight highlights day nine

On Saturday, the Broncos came out in shorts and shells, so I thought we’d be in for an even more boring practice than usual. Each day of practice, I’ve felt like Bill Murray in the movie “Groundhog Day,” as drills lack energy on the field and most days are the same.

Nothing could be further from the truth on this day. There was a fight, there were some big throws from the quarterbacks and there were young players making big plays to stand out for the coaching staff.

Here are my five biggest observations from day nine of training camp.

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Bolles vs. Chubb

Left tackle Garett Bolles has been feeling frustrated during recent practices just based off his body language and based off what happened Saturday between he and pass-rusher Bradley Chubb. Turnovers have been a problem for the Broncos offense, and we’ve seen Bolles express his frustration on the field over the course of training camp.

It wasn’t a turnover, but something triggered a fight between Bolles and Chubb on Saturday. Bolles was blocking Chubb on the edge and took him to the ground. Words must have been exchanged and both sides of the ball quickly rallied as the two were pushing and shoving.

You couldn’t see much as it looked like the team was huddling up, but when the dust settled you saw a clearly angry Chubb and a clearly angry Bolles. It looked like Chubb was walking away, almost to the locker room, but he circled back and stayed on the field.

Bolles, on the other hand, was sent to the locker room to calm down. He threw his helmet in frustration as he walked off the field and about 20 minutes later, he returned with general manager George Paton. Reports swirled on Twitter that Bolles talked to the linebacker upon his return, likely apologizing for the incident.

I didn’t think this dust up was a bad thing. In fact, it’s one of the most exciting things to happen in practice after nine days. Cooler heads prevailed, and Bolles will be able to take his frustrations out on the Vikings next week.

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Speed Demon

Second-year wide receiver K.J. Hamler can fly. Speed was the hallmark of his game at Penn State, but we didn’t get to see much of him as a rookie in 2020.

On Saturday, Hamler put on a show and fans got to see why the Broncos selected him in the second round of the draft. Hamler’s speed is dangerous no matter the route or the spot on the field. Hamler can get to top speed in a hurry, blowing by unsuspecting defenders in the blink of an eye, but he also can change direction without losing much speed. This allows him to turn around defenders on more than just “go” routes.

In addition to the big plays he made as a receiver on Saturday, Hamler showed well as a return man during special-teams drills. The team has a jam-packed group of wide receivers and there are going to be some tough decisions made at the end of the roster. Having Hamler as a potential return man is bad news for a guy like Diontae Spencer.

Last year, Spencer was the team’s primary return man but this year in camp, we’re seeing not only Hamler but guys like Trinity Benson and Kendall Hinton getting work in that role. It’s a low-key battle to watch during training camp.

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Fant Frequency

No matter who was the quarterback, tight end Noah Fant was making plays for them. Entering his third season, Fant could breakout this season as one of the best young tight ends in the game. He certainly is a weapon who creates mismatches on the field, and both Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater go to him early an often.

Fant was making big plays for Bridgewater today. Whether it was over the middle of the field or in the back of the end zone, Fant was not going to let the quarterback down. There was one throw on a drag route that Fant dropped, but that’s only because he was wide open and had to be thinking about running after the catch before he secured the ball.

His size/speed combination is evident when compared to other players and other tight ends on the roster. Fant is too fast for any linebacker to cover in space. Fant is also too big for safeties to cover and can control the point of attack.

The Broncos offense doesn’t look that exciting this year, even though they have the weapons to be a dangerous passing game. However, when Fant is the primary target there is an excitement he brings to the field.

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Best For Both?

I can’t believe I didn’t begin this article with a discussion on the quarterbacks, but they weren’t the story of the day. I’d give the day to Bridgewater, but just like every day except two the battle was close.

I think this was the best day for both quarterbacks. It’s not to say they were awesome or were filling the air with footballs – far from it. However, both Bridgewater and Lock peppered the ball all over the field.

Bridgewater threw no interceptions on the day, and he did take a couple of deep shots that connected (one to Hamler, one to Fant). Lock threw two interceptions that cost him the day. One was a batted ball that Von Miller came down with. The other was a terrible choice to throw on the outside where Bryce Callahan made the easy interception. Outside of those two picks, Lock wasn’t bad – he wasn’t great – but I like how he was lighter on his feet and generally went through more progressions than he normally does.

This quarterback battle is pretty boring most days. Each passer has had one terrible day, and every other day it’s close. On Saturday, it seemed like each guy turned in the best performance he could given the sytem and their skill sets.

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Young Guns

Saturday was a rest day for both starting safeties Kareem Jackson and Justin Simmons. That means young players at the safety position like Trey Marshall, Jamar Johnson, Caden Sterns and P.J. Locke got more work.

Marshall is likely the No. 3 safety but he’s being pushed this year in camp. While I like Johnson, the rookie from Indiana, he was just activated from the reserve IR/COVID-19 list. It’s been fellow rookie Caden Sterns who has been having a strong camp and on Saturday it was no different.

Sterns is a smart player and is always around the ball. He’s gathered in a couple of interceptions during camp, and on Saturday he once again showed the game is not too big for him. We’ll see if he can rise up the depth chart to be the primary backup to Simmons or Jackson.

With Jackson’s contract up after this year, the Broncos need to be grooming a young safety to take his place in 2022. The early favorite for that job could be Sterns.

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