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Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, one of the second-ranked Buckeyes’ high-profile transfers, and three of his new teammates were selected for the preseason Associated Press All-America team announced Monday. Downs, who was a second-team All-American as a freshman for Alabama last season, was joined by guard Donovan Jackson, receiver Emeka Egbuka and cornerback Denzel Burke to give Ohio State the most first-team selections.

Bubble? What bubble? Bo Nix and Tim Patrick are a match made in Mile High Heaven. Don’t overthink this one, Sean Payton. Nothing about a rookie quarterback is a sure thing, so you surround him with as many sure things as possible. Nix needs friends. Has a Broncos quarterback since 2020 had better friends than Patrick’s two hands? “You get any butterflies running around Empower for the first time in forever?” I asked the Broncos’ veteran receiver Sunday night after Denver stomped what was essentially the Packers’ bench, 27-2. The sure thing shook his head. “I got (nervous) in Indy a little bit,” Patrick told me.

Here’s a look at which players improved their stock or watched it decline after the Broncos’ 27-2 win over the Packers in the preseason opener at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium on Sunday evening. Stock Up WR Tim Patrick: It took two years, but Patrick was able to cross the goal line once again, scoring on a 2-yard play-action pass from Bo Nix in the first quarter.

Initial thoughts from Broncos’ 27-2 win over the Packers at Empower Field: 1. Keidron rocks: We’ve found 2024’s Essang Bassey! Second-year safety Keidron Smith, who bounced around with the Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders last season, recorded his second preseason pick in as many preseason weeks to close out an emphatic opening two quarters.

Bo Nix is exactly who you want him to be. He is athletic, mature, smart and unimpressed with himself. The Broncos quarterback made his home debut on Sunday night, facing suffocating pressure for a preseason game, and played like it was Saturday afternoon in Oregon. Nix is no longer in the mix.

BOULDER,CO AUGUST 8:Taje McCoy at Colorado football practice at the University of Colorado Boulder on August 8, 2023.(Cliff Grassmick/Staff Photographer) Throughout the offseason, the Colorado football staff put a lot of effort into upgrading the pass rush on defense. CU brought in a pair of transfers from Pittsburgh in Dayon Hayes and Samuel Okunlola, who could be two of the best pass rushers on the team.