Broncos Coaches Buzzing About Two Young Pass Rushers
Coming into training camp, one of the biggest questions surrounding the Denver Broncos’ defense was the level of play coming off of the edge. Those questions were warranted for a multitude of reasons, most notably the injury concerns and the ability of the Broncos' depth players to step into more prominent roles in the defense.
Despite signing veteran Pro Bowler Frank Clark late in the summer to help, Denver's edge room featured a handful of players that have missed more games to injury than they've actually played. Guys like Randy Gregory and Baron Browning both suffered major injuries last season, with Browning needing corrective surgery on his knee this offseason to repair it completely.
After those guys, the Broncos were desperately hoping for developmental player Jonathon Cooper to take a big step forward, as well as 2022 second-rounder Nik Bonitto to show the signs of becoming the type of elite pass rusher that is expected of a player drafted within the first 64 selections of a class.
Thus far, both have answered the bell.
The Broncos' pass rush has been all over the backfield in camp, with Bonitto and Cooper having standout performances throughout training camp. The duo has been nearly unblockable coming off of the edge, and Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph offered some glowing praise for each of them following practice on Tuesday.
“Nik’s grown. You watch Nik play in college, and you watch him last year; he was more of a speed rusher,” Joseph said on Tuesday. “Now, he’s engaging the big bodies and using his hands. He’s more speed to power, and that’s NFL rushing. You know, these tackles are so big and so tall, if you're a speed guy, they’ll just push you past (the quarterback). You have to go through that guy to be a great rusher in this league and he’s learning that trait so far.”
Last year, Bonitto struggled to see the field, and when he did see action, the results were hit-and-miss. One of the worst aspects of his game coming out of Oklahoma was his inability to set a firm edge in the running game, which is something that has been addressed in a major way thus far.
Bonitto appears to have added close to 15 pounds worth of muscle to his frame and is now starting to be able to string multiple techniques together, both as a pass rusher and as a run defender. A couple of days ago, Bonitto had a very impressive rep against right tackle Mike McGlinchey in which the second-year rush linebacker used his elite burst off the snap to get the veteran out of position, then ripped off a spin move to the inside to finish the play in what would have been a sack in a real game.
As for Cooper, Joseph was also effusive in his praise for the fourth-year defender.
“‘Coop'’s had a hell of a camp. If you want to talk about consistency every day, it’s ‘Coop,'" Joseph said. "As a dropper, as a rusher, as an edge setter, he is really consistent and one of our best guys right now.”
Cooper has been showered with praise for the past several days from members of the media, citing his newfound ability to be an explosive rusher coming off the edge. Cooper was mostly known as a run defender early in his career, but after seeing extensive action last season after the Broncos traded away Bradley Chubb, his development has skyrocketed exponentially.
Cooper has been one of the more talked about players from fans and media in attendance over the past week and a half, showing well enough that he was also praised by head coach Sean Payton following Wednesday's practice.
"He’s pretty explosive," Payton said. "I think he’s got good hands, good length, and I do think he plays hard. This front requires physicality to it. When you’re playing a gap-and-a-half and a two-gap type defense, it’s a very physical front. His explosiveness and his get-off are things that we value.”
All in all, the showing of the Broncos' edge room thus far in camp has been eye-opening to those that have had those doubts. While the interior offensive line has been able to shore up protections and open up holes in the running game, the edge players have gotten the best of the offensive tackles for the majority of camp.
Even the likes of McGlinchey and left tackle Garett Bolles have had their struggles on the boundary of the trenches going up against what appears to be a vastly underappreciated group.
“It’s the best room I’ve had from one to six in a very long time,” Joseph opined on Tuesday. “Having a bunch of rushers with different traits has been fun to watch. Having a plan for each guy to get enough reps to be effective during the game is going to be important for me. Having Randy, Frank, ‘Coop,' and Bonitto, and then when Baron comes back, that’s a really good room. We’ve got two young guys breaking glass also.”
With Bonitto and Cooper showing the goods and being able to get after the quarterback, along with Gregory’s health thus far and defensive lineman Zach Allen being one of the team’s best defensive players, the Broncos’ defense appears to have a very nasty pass rush.
Should things keep progressing as they have in training camp, Denver’s defense could be one of the top units in the entire league in sacks. Combine that with a ball-hawking secondary, and this unit could be a top-5 unit overall.
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