Film Room: Broncos OLB Jonah Elliss is Becoming a Force

The Denver Broncos have two excellent starting rush linebackers, but Jonah Elliss has looked like a man possessed entering Year 2. Let's examine the growth he's shown this preseason.

August 9, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Isaac Alarcon (67) blocks Denver Broncos linebacker Jonah Elliss (52) during the third quarter at Levi's Stadium. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos have depth at outside linebacker entering the 2025 season, and it looks far improved compared to the 2024 season. Jonah Elliss is a big reason why, despite having dealt with a shoulder injury that he had surgery on early in the offseason. 

In the first preseason game, Elliss had a fantastic showing vs. the San Francisco 49ers, and it carried over to the Arizona Cardinals. One area he needed to improve was against the run, which is why today's focus is on highlighting those improvements as a run defender. 

Elliss still has a lot of room for growth, but he has shown the versatility to play either side of the line. He has to stay healthy, which is a big concern with him dating back to college, but these clips highlight the growth he has already made and where he can still show improvements. 

Play 1

Jonah Elliss doing Jonah Elliss things against the run pic.twitter.com/cHNbnkCrdX

— Mile High Huddle (@MileHighHuddle) August 17, 2025

On the first play, Elliss is lined up as a 9-technique outside the tight ends on the left side. He has contain, meaning his job is to keep the quarterback or running back, depending on pass or run, inside the pocket between the tackles. 

It's a run, but Elliss has to play it as both. At the snap, he fires off quickly and engages with the tight end, who was late off the snap. Elliss engages with good bend and leverage to win at the point of attack and set himself up as an edge setter to keep the back inside, as by this time, he should be seeing run. 

Elliss continues to struggle with the tight end, slightly losing outside contain and creating a lane for the back to take it outside, though it was a tight lane where Elliss still could’ve potentially made a play. However, the back doesn’t take it and cuts it inside instead. 

At that point, Elliss doesn’t have to fight the tight end for outside contain and can crash down. So, he stacks and sheds the tight end with working back inside, and can wrap up the back's legs to bring him down. 

This was a good play from Elliss, but there are still areas he can improve here, primarily in setting a stronger edge. While the outside lane was tight, it was open, giving the back a choice. You want to see Elliss set the edge where outside isn’t an option, forcing the ball carrier back into the defense. 

If that seems nitpicky, it's because it is. But these tweaks can take Elliss from being a solid or good run defender to a great one. 

Play 2

Jonah Elliss massive TFL pic.twitter.com/94UwQops4u

— Mile High Huddle (@MileHighHuddle) August 17, 2025

This time, we have Elliss lined up as a 7-technique on the right tackle, matched up with the tight end. Again, while we know it is a run, Elliss doesn’t and has to play it for pass and run, where his responsibilities are essentially the same as the previous play. 

Elliss doesn’t have a clean read here as the tight end gives a small chip and goes into his route, having two blockers pulling. The tight end going into his route could sell run, but the read from Elliss was run, which was correct, as it was an option where fellow rush linebacker Dondrea Tillman (92) was the read defender for the Cardinals quarterback. 

With the pulling blockers, Elliss gets some leverage and blasts into the lead puller, knocking the blocker off balance and keeping Elliss from getting fully engaged. The separation he sustains with his blast into the lead blocker keeps him free from the second puller and allows him to make a play. 

Last year, there were multiple times Elliss would get caught on the lead blocker on plays similar to this one. He wouldn’t create that initial blow and instead sink into engagement with the blocker, which can still work by creating space for a teammate to make a play. 

What happens next on the Broncos beat? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second, sign up for our free newsletter, and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

Play 3

You don't win every rep pic.twitter.com/zybLLOjUqs

— Mile High Huddle (@MileHighHuddle) August 17, 2025

The final play bears similarities to the first one, as Elliss is positioned on the left side, with the same responsibilities, including setting a tight end to force the back to keep the ball inside. The key difference between the two plays is how Elliss sets the edge, where there is no room for nitpicking on this one. 

Elliss has the tackle standing up and is in complete control of the block, while keeping his eyes in the backfield on the runner. With the back looking inside, Elliss is set inside, but when the back jukes linebacker Justin Strnad (40) and can look outside, he repositions and sets a hard edge on the outside. 

The back doesn’t look outside, but it doesn’t matter since Elliss is there, controlling the tackle with the positioning to shed and make the play. So, the back keeps it inside, and again, Elliss repositions to get inside and disengages from the block. 

Elliss doesn’t make the play here like he does in the first one, but he plays this run significantly better than the first. Both of them show growth as a run defender compared to last year, as he struggled to reposition himself and contain two gaps. 

The Takeaway

There is a lot of room for Elliss to grow still, and you can see some of it on these three plays, but his stock is trending up. The biggest question is whether he can stay healthy; if he can, he could be a great defensive force for the Broncos in relief of Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper.