Why Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto could be key to pass-rush renaissance (2024)

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The first thing you notice are the shoulders.

Nik Bonitto, the Broncos’ third-year outside linebacker, the one who struggled to pack on pounds as a rookie, walked out of the locker room after an offseason practice earlier this month looking like a player who has been doing overhead presses in his sleep. The physical maturation that began as Bonitto entered his second season — and the first in the player health and performance program created by Beau Lowery — and has seemingly reached new heights. It’s been impressive for a player who acknowledged during his first training camp that learning to meet the daily caloric intake of an NFL edge rusher had been a challenge.

But ask Bonitto about what he took most pride in following a 2023 season in which he registered eight sacks, up from 1 1/2 as a rookie, and it’s not the physical growth. It was how he learned to see the game.

“It was (learning to) study the guys in front of me and studying guys around the league and really seeing how they’re winning (with their rushes), especially against the teams and tackles we are going against,” Bonitto said. “It was learning what moves worked and kind of applying that to my game as well.”

Bonitto ranked seventh in the NFL last season in pressure rate (18 percent) among defenders with at least 150 pass-rush snaps, according to TruMedia. He was just a hair behind Myles Garrett (18.3 percent) and produced a higher rate than players like Nick Bosa (17.8), Aidan Hutchinson (17.4) and Khalil Mack (17.3).

“He had more opportunities relative to the depth in his second year, (and) I think that will continue to trend that way,” head coach Sean Payton said. “It’s that growth we always talk about from Year 1 to Year 2, but I think he had more playing time snaps, too.”

Bonitto played 357 snaps as a rookie (35 percent of the defense’s total) and jumped to 525 (52 percent) last season. The jump in opportunity — and production — began with Denver’s Week 4 victory against the Bears. Payton benched veterans Randy Gregory and Frank Clark, eager to get a longer look at a group of young pass rushers that included Bonitto and third-year player Jonathon Cooper. Bonitto responded by harassing Chicago quarterback Justin Fields. He had 2 1/2 sacks and forced a fumble that Cooper scooped up and returned for a tide-turning touchdown. Bonitto played 48 snaps that day, then a career-high total. It was a glimpse of what he could do with a larger opportunity.

SCOOP & SCORE‼️

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“Nik is a special rusher,” Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said last week. “He had a great year last year. Even with missed time (Bonitto sat out two of Denver’s 17 games), he had a pretty good year. He’s a natural rusher and it’s my job to find spots for him to kind of showcase that.”

The Broncos are fully leaning into the youth movement at their edge rusher spots that began last season. The group that shakes out when the 53-man roster is created will be filled with players on their rookie contracts: Bonitto, Cooper, Baron Browning, Drew Sanders (when he at some point returns from an offseason Achilles injury) and third-round pick Jonah Ellis, who, Bonitto said, “has shown a lot of flashes and is picking it up a lot faster than I did as a rookie.”

Like so many other spots on the roster, there is significant competition for snaps at outside linebacker. The “hunger” among the group has been evident, Bonitto said. There is no established leader like Von Miller or Bradley Chubb. If the Broncos are going to improve as a pass-rushing outfit — they were 21st in pressure rate last season and 20th in sacks — it will be because a handful of players in prove-it years took another leap forward.

“We have a lot of guys in our room that can be starters in this league, so there’s not a lot of room for error in our room,” Browning said. “We have to be on point every day and push one another to be our best. I’m embracing it and I think all of the guys in the room are embracing it. I feel like we have a lot of veterans in our room between me, Coop and even Nik, so we’re just trying to push one another and keep the standard upheld that’s been upheld in our room before we even got here.”

Bonitto, like other returning members of Denver’s defense, said having continuity in Joseph’s scheme has done wonders for his offseason development, allowing him to focus more finely on his technique and less on grappling with a new playbook. A particular focus for Bonitto has been his hand placement when approaching blockers in the run game, the details that can allow him shed opponents and subsequently be more effective at setting the edge. If he can strengthen that area of his game, it would allow Bonitto to be on the field even more this season.

Put another way, it would allow Bonitto’s growing shoulders to shoulder more of the burden for a defense looking for new leaders to emerge.

“It’s just about being more consistent,” Bonitto said. “Trying to be a guy who can do my part out here so the coaches are able to trust me to do more and play more on the field. I’m doing what I have to do to get more opportunities.”

(Photo: Perry Knotts / Getty Images)

Nick Kosmider is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Denver Broncos. He previously covered the Denver Nuggets for The Athletic after spending five years at the Denver Post, where he covered the city’s professional sports scene. His other stops include The Arizona Republic and MLB.com. Follow Nick on Twitter @NickKosmider