Broncos' OLB Downgraded to Out vs. Commanders

Elliss has been plagued by multiple injuries this season, but the hamstring flared up on him during the Broncos' Week 10 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. He's dealt with an injury to his ribs and shoulder this season.

Unfortunately, these health setbacks have prevented Elliss from building on his impressive five-sack rookie season. The 2024 third-round pick out of Utah managed to produce at that level, despite being behind two double-digit sack artists on the depth chart, in Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper.

It's been one thing after another this season, but Elliss has appeared in eight of Denver's 11 games, totaling one sack, a forced fumble, and 14 tackles. That sack came in the Broncos' season-opening victory over the Tennessee Titans, while his forced fumble came in Week 3's loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, where he also had a batted pass.

Broncos' Pass Rush Unrelenting Sans Elliss

Because of the injuries, Elliss has struggled to get into a groove this season, but the Broncos' sack frenzy has continued on apace. With 49 sacks thus far, the Broncos lead the NFL, with the next-closest team being the Cleveland Browns, whose 42 sacks are vastly inflated by Myles Garrett's 18.

Bonitto has 9.5 sacks, while Cooper has 7.5. Defensive ends Zach Allen and John Franklin-Myers have 6.0 and 4.5 sacks, respectively.

Fellow rush linebacker Dondrea Tillman has 1.5 sacks to go along with his team-high two interceptions. Tillman was a rookie last year, too, and like Elliss, he notched five sacks.

As Klis observed, Elliss missing another game means rookie fourth-rounder Que Robinson is going to dress and have a role in the rush linebacker rotation. Although Robinson only has a half-sack thus far, when he's been on the field, he's generated a lot of quarterback hurries, hits, and pressures.

The pass rush just keeps coming in waves for the Broncos. At the second level of the defense, nickel cornerback Ja'Quan McMillian ranks fifth on the team with four sacks, while linebacker Justin Strnad has 3.5.

The Broncos have 14 players with at least one sack this season, which boggles the mind. The 1984 Chicago Bears own the NFL's single-season sack record, with 72.

For the Broncos to break Chicago's record, they'll need to average four sacks per game over these final six weeks. That's not easy to do, but the lowest number Vance Joseph's defense has been held to in a game this season is two sacks.

The Broncos have essentially averaged 4.5 sacks per game this season, so as long as they stay on track coming out of the bye, the Bears' 41-year-old record has a solid chance of being broken.

It's a tough development for Elliss, who's likely champing at the bit to get back out there and contribute to the mayhem. But the Broncos are likely taking the longview, wanting to preserve him for the true stretch run and the playoffs, and keep those pass-rushing waves rolling.

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