Recapping Denver Broncos rookie performances vs. the Cowboys

With the Denver Broncos’ first pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, they selected pass rusher Nik Bonitto. Looking at his performance in his professional debut,  Nik Bonitto had an OK day against the Dallas Cowboys.

One of his better pash rushes came on Baron Browning’s sack with just over 1:00 to play in the first half.  Bonitto was lined up outside the tackle on the short side of the field as a 6-technique and hit the tackle and back releasing with a nice spin move inside that forced Cooper Rush to bail out of the pocket.

Once Rush started to scramble out, although Bonitto went inside, Rush went outside and lost contain in a way but Baron Browning closed from the other side so quickly it actually worked out well.

Denver Broncos rookie Nik Bonitto shows his potential against the Dallas Cowboys

His bend was there, he has a nice spin move too. If there is something he needs to work on, it would be his versatility as a pass rusher. It seemed as if the tackles were prepared for his spin move, so it never really set up well.

Maybe that was due to the extensive work they had during camp practices, but if Nik Bonitto could strengthen up his bull rush or rip technique it would benefit him exponentially.

Just because Nik Bonitto was the Denver Broncos’ top draft pick, fans and media expect him to have the biggest impact immediately, which would be great if he did, but his transition could take some time.

Third-round pick Greg Dulcich was inactive and did not play against the Dallas Cowboys. Broncos Country still awaits the debut of a player that Coach Hackett blushes about.

Damarri Mathis had a fine outing. Coming up with three tackles, Damarri Mathis showed that his physicality would translate to the professional game. Mathis is not scared to be physical. In fact, that is the best part of his game.

There were a few plays I saw from Mathis where he mirrored the wide receiver without getting handsy. It was good to see he can mirror without the physicality along with the ability of a good punch, Mathis looked good Saturday night.

There were not any massive rookie blunders from Mathis, he was not picked on by either Cooper Rush or Ben DiNucci. His footwork remained fluid, he continued to flow when the play was away and he kept everything in front of him.

Eyioma Uwazurike,  second of the Denver Broncos’ fourth-round picks, had a solid outing. He had a good pass rush stunt early in the fourth quarter. On an outside rush, he was attempting to chase down Ben DiNucci, but he was just a tick too slow.

His presence was still enough to force DiNucci into a no-no ball that hit Jamar Johnson in the bread basket, but Johnson did not come up with the interception. Along with that pressure, Eyioma Uwazurike added two tackles.