Broncos’ Newest Breakout Star Creates Controversy Ahead of Giants Game

Bonitto had not addressed the initial post, nor had he replied to Thibodeaux as of Friday afternoon.

What to Know About Broncos Star Nik Bonitto

The NFL’s current media climate makes it easy to be unaware of the league’s top defenders, especially when ESPN devotes much of its programming to the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys.

Now is the time to get familiar with Bonitto, though, even more so as the Broncos pursue their first AFC West crown since 2015. A 2022 second-round pick, Bonitto owns 31 sacks and 37 tackles for loss over 53 games and 26 starts.

Bonitto’s already reached eight sacks for the third straight season, and he’s two away from a second consecutive 10-sack year.

Nik Bonitto Will Need to Put Up or Shut Up Against the Giants

Multiple things can be true, one being that it’s never the best idea to go up against a team’s fanbase, especially on social media. At the same time, no one should have any issues with a player talking a big game, so long as they put their money where their mouth is.

The key issue here is Bonitto deleting the X/Twitter post, even if we understand why someone may have thought it’d be safer. Bonitto feels how he feels, and that alone isn’t a problem. There are far worse things that he could have said.

Bonitto has gone from an impressive spot-starter and pass-rush specialist to one of the league’s breakout stars, not unlike what Cincinnati Bengals standout Trey Hendrickson did earlier in his career with the New Orleans Saints. Fittingly, although Hendrickson is a defensive end, it’s worth noting that he played for now-Broncos coach Sean Payton in New Orleans.

As for Bonitto, we’ll see whether the Giants make him regret speaking up. FanDuel Sportsbook lists the Broncos as 7-point favorites (-120, so a $100 bet would result in a $183.33 payout) as of Friday afternoon.