The Denver Broncos Have the Most Underrated Pass Rusher In the NFL

The Denver Broncos have been through a lot over the last decade, but George Paton has made crucial decisions to save the franchise. After trading for Russell Wilson, the Broncos were short on draft capital and needed to hit on their late-round draft picks. In 2022, he did just that, drafting OLB Nik Bonitto out of Oklahoma with the 64th overall pick.

Broncos Have a Star

When they drafted Bonitto, he was very far down the depth chart. The Broncos already had Bradley Chubb, Randy Gregory, Malik Reed, and Jonathan Cooper. Bonitto wasn’t going to see much time on the field during his rookie season, but he was able to get more playing time in 2023. Denver traded Bradley Chubb to the Miami Dolphins for Sean Payton and released Randy Gregory due to many issues on and off the field.

Bonitto was thrown into the fire and had to step up on what was an already weak defensive line. In his second season, Bonitto had eight sacks, taking a huge step forward, and became an immediate starter the following season. In his first full season as a starter, Bonitto had 13.5 sacks, emerging as a young star alongside Zach Allen and Jonathan Cooper on the defensive line. The pick of Bonitto looked even better for George Paton, as he took one of the best edge rushers in the entire draft in the second round, with limited room to work with.

Bonitto Is Extremely Underrated

When talking about the best edge rushers in the NFL, many point to T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett, and Maxx Crosby. A name that needs to be mentioned more is Bonitto. Through five games, Bonitto has 7 sacks, which leads the NFL. He is currently on pace to set an NFL record, with 24 sacks in a single season. The current record is held by T.J. Watt and Michael Strahan, who both had 22.5 sacks.

Not only is he racking up sacks, but he is putting an immense amount of pressure on opposing quarterbacks. According to Adam Levitan, Nik Bonitto leads the NFL in quarterback pressure, with 31. In quarterback pressure rate, Bonitto’s (28.4%) is higher than Micah Parsons’ (22.4%), Aidan Hutchinson’s (18.2%), and Myles Garrett’s (16.2%).

Bonitto’s style of play is truly unstoppable, and reminds me of Von Miller. His ability to time the center and jump the line of scrimmage is truly unmatched, and no other edge rusher can do it like him. Against the Eagles, the Broncos’ star had 2.5 sacks, along with 5 pressures.

George Paton Paid Him Early!

One of the main priorities heading into the offseason was paying his young players on defense and getting ahead of the market. He was able to extend Bonitto on a four-year, $120 million deal with $70 million guaranteed. Right now, his contract makes him the 10th-highest-paid Edge Rusher in the NFL, which is an absolute steal.

If Paton had waited any longer to pay him, his price would’ve skyrocketed. Over the next two seasons, the Broncos will pay him just over $13 million, with his extension starting in 2027. This move allows them to allocate money to other areas of the team, and capitalize on what Head Coach Sean Payton calls “A Super Bowl window.”

The Broncos could join a list of a few teams that have had two different players to win Defensive Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons. If Bonitto can win it, he would be the second Bronco to win the award since Patrick Surtain did it last season. The only teams to do so are the 1974-1976 Pittsburgh Steelers, 1995-96 Buffalo Bills, and the 2003-04 Baltimore Ravens.