Broncos breakout star entered himself into the Defensive Player of the Year race

The Denver Broncos entered their game on Monday night with one of the better defensive units in football but had no clear Defensive Player of the Year candidate on the defensive front. While Pat Surtain II had been playing incredibly entering the week, the lack of media attention towards his candidacy has been apparent and might be enough to keep him from serious consideration for the award.

However, another Bronco might have found himself as a major winner on Monday night, and that is not just based on the scoreboard.

Nik Bonitto has emerged into legitimate Defensive MVP candidate in 2024

It would be safe to say that the time of the Broncos not having a defensive player of the year candidate officially ended on Monday night, after Nik Bonitto introduced himself to the national football audience with a dominating performance against the Browns, pushing the Broncos further into the AFC Playoff picture.

Bonitto turned in easily the most important outing of the season, and his defensive score in the early stages of the second quarter might have been the difference between a win and a loss for Denver. Bonitto was credited with a sack of Jameis Winston on Monday night and electrified the Mile High crowd with an incredible pick-six while dropped back in zone coverage, reminiscent of Von Miller's interception of Tom Brady in the 2015 AFC Championship Game.

On the season now, Bonitto has 11 sacks, a forced fumble, an interception, and a defensive touchdown. The former Oklahoma Sooner has cemented himself as one of the NFL's best pass rushers and is leading the charge of a Broncos defense that has been the best in the NFL at sacking the quarterback in 2024.

In his third year since the Broncos selected him with the 64th overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, Bonitto has already crushed a career-high in sacks, has his first career interception, and is setting himself up nicely for a strong payday sometime between now and when he is set to hit the market as a free agent following the 2025 season.

Bonitto has inserted himself nicely into what appears to be a crowded field for the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. No player has stood out to the point that they have separated themselves from the rest of the pack, which has allowed Bonitto to continue to pad his résumé in the meantime. He is second in the NFL in sacks to just Trey Hendrickson's 11.5, has one more tackle for a loss than Hendrickson does, while also having the interception and subsequent touchdown to his name.

Pat Surtain might still find himself in Defensive Player of the Year conversations as the year comes to its final stages, but he will be met there by the new face of the Broncos' pass rush, Nik Bonitto.