Broncos Teammates Reveal How Nik Bonitto Engineered His Breakout

As the 2025 season marches on, Nik Bonitto's new contract looks like a colossal bargain for Denver Broncos general manager George Paton. Bonitto is off to an electric start to the campaign, notching a league-high seven sacks through five games.

Bonitto's 2.5 sacks against the Philadelphia Eagles saw the 26-year-old earn AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. His seven sacks only showcase a fraction of his impact when you consider how much havoc he has caused to date. 

Indeed, Jonathon Cooper is doubling down on his declaration that his edge-rushing partner is the premier sack artist in the league. 

“He’s awesome in every sense of the word. I think he’s the best pass rusher. I’ve said this before, he’s been top of this league for a while," Cooper said of Bonitto on Wednesday. "His instincts are off the charts, his get off, the way he plays the game, the way he approaches. He’s smarter than what you give him credit for. He’s smart out there. He’s a great teammate, he’s a great dude. You live right and you do things right, the success comes."

Cooper's claim is based on personally witnessing a total package coming together in Bonitto over a relatively short period of time. Cooper takes genuine pride in Bonitto.

"For everything that he’s doing, more power to him," Cooper said of Bonitto. "I couldn’t be happier, more proud of my guy, honestly.” 

With Bonitto hitting the ground running, teams are now waking up to the fact that they'll have to construct a game plan to somehow contain him. The winless New York Jets are set to face similar headaches as they attempt to minimize Bonitto's impact at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London this Sunday. 

Even so, reigning Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II also knows his teammate will be studying his opponent just as diligently; a marker for sustained success.

“Yes, I think it’s pretty impressive when you see him really study his opponent," Surtain said of Bonitto. "I mean, studying the tackles he’s going up against, studying offenses because I feel like in his head he’s picturing how he can make this play at the end of the day. Once you hone in the film study, the game slows down for you a lot, and I think that’s what allows him to get to this point right now for sure.” 

Visualizing what he's planning to do ahead of time is the mark of elite players in this league, and at this stage, it's hard to present a tangible argument that Bonitto hasn't just joined that club. Furthermore, everything Surtain has seen of Bonitto's career trajectory suggests the fourth-year pass rusher is just getting started.

“You can just tell, Year 4, he’s just developed into… You can tell his game developed each and every year," Surtain said of Bonitto. "Last year was his coming-out year. This year is even scarier because now you can tell he’s growing into himself a little bit more. He’s even more confident going off the edge. Teams have to game plan around him. That’s just the type of player that he is.” 

Cooper and Surtain raving about the polished pro Bonitto has become hints that the Defensive Player of the Year award may plausibly be on the table. As Bonitto's fame on the national stage continues to grow, he remains focused on wrecking games first and foremost. 

How wild would it be for the Broncos to boast back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards? That would be quite the feat, considering the team went nearly a half-century between Randy Gradishar winning it and Surtain bringing home the award.

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