The Denver Broncos generated some headlines this week thanks to a practice scuffle that included quarterback Bo Nix.

Nix and pass rusher Nik Bonitto exchanged some words — Nix, who was pushed down earlier on a sack, pulled Bonitto out of a pile by the leg — which led to some pushing and shoving.

Denver’s starting quarterback welcomed the intensity.

“I love it. It’s football,” said Nix. “It’s getting me ready for the games coming up. It’s a physical practice played by physical people. So it got intense and we were really enjoying it, and sometimes in the dog days of summer, practice gets long and the intensity gets high.”

Practice fights, of course, aren’t a big deal. They’re usually the sign of a highly competitive team.

But players have to keep their composure, too.

Especially in games this season, because, as head coach Sean Payton reminded his team this week, players can now be ejected via video review.

“We covered last night what’s new from an officiating standpoint,” said Payton. “This is our first season where they can go to replay in New York and remove a player. So, with that being the case, it’s going to be hard to be the guy that gets the first jab. They’re going to be able to go to replay and get it right. And so we discussed that. We had examples of shoving, and then you know the officials just getting bumped and you’re ejected.”

I don’t think Payton was bothered by the practice scuffle, but he clearly saw it as an opportunity to remind his players that they better keep the emotions in check this fall. The last thing the Broncos need is to lose a key player because replay caught someone shoving another player in a frustrated moment.

Because here’s the thing — a mild shove that leads to a fight is now probably going to result in the player who issued the harmless shove getting ejected as well.