ESPN Floats ‘Change of Scenery’ for Promising Broncos Defender

The Denver Broncos are very deep at a few positions on the roster. One of them is outside linebacker. With two starters playing on a lucrative second contract, the Broncos have veteran leadership and production at the top of the outside linebacker depth chart.

However, the Broncos' depth at rush linebacker is young and hungry. The Broncos have continued to invest in the position, drafting Jonah Elliss in the third round in 2024 and Que Robinson in the fourth last year.

Throw in Dondrea Tillman and the Broncos have a legitimate rush linebacker rotation that is five deep. It's a big reason why Denver has been able to lead the league in sacks in back-to-back years.

However, it's possible that an up-and-coming player like Elliss might want a bigger role. ESPN's Aaron Schatz listed Elliss as the top Bronco who could use a change of scenery this offseason.

"This is not an issue of a player who has not properly developed. Instead, Elliss is a talented young pass rusher who doesn't have a path to start behind veterans Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper," Schatz wrote. "Last season, Elliss had a 14.1% pass rush win rate and a 12.2% pressure rate. Both numbers were above average for edge rushers, but he played only 38% of snaps in the games for which he was active."

Elliss struggled to stay on the field last year with some unfortunate injuries, but when he was active, he was productive. He would likely be a starter on 26 of the other 31 teams around the NFL.

"It would be intriguing to see Elliss get a chance to start elsewhere in the league. Perhaps alongside his brother Christian with New England if K'Lavon Chaisson leaves in free agency?" Schatz wrote.

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Obstacles to Trading Elliss

Denver Broncos linebacker Jonah Elliss (52) can't get to Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning (6) in the first half. — September 29, 2025: Denver Broncos linebacker Jonah Elliss (52) can't get to Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning (6) in the first half | Derek Regensburger / IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

If the Broncos were looking to stockpile more draft capital, Elliss would make for a solid trade piece. But we'd have to keep it within the bounds of the plausible: the Broncos would have a hard time getting back what they invested in Elliss.

Maybe a conditional fourth-rounder, and that would be the best-case scenario. The Broncos are deep at the position, so they could afford a minor loss relative to the depreciation in value of the Elliss selection. If you drafted him in Round 3 and the very, very best you could get back is maybe a Round 4... you see the problem here?

At the end of the day, Elliss is worth more to the Broncos on the roster than what they could likely get for him on the trade market. It might be slightly different if he hadn't missed four games last season.

Elliss totaled five sacks as a rookie in 2024. That production dropped in half in Year 2, mainly because the injuries slowed him down.

If the Broncos were interested in dealing Elliss away, it would make more sense to run it back one more year in the hopes that he can stay healthy and contribute on an even greater scale, then look at potentially moving him, either ahead of next November's deadline or next offseason, as his draft-pick contract runs through the 2027 season.

Then again, if an NFL team blew the Broncos away with an offer for Elliss they couldn't refuse, anything is possible. That's a big 'if,' though.