The Denver Broncos subscribe to the idea that you can never have too many good pass rushers. Not only did the Broncos use their top draft pick on defensive lineman Tyler Onyedim, but they are leaving no stone unturned as they look for the best assembly of pass rushers on the 90-man roster they can possibly find.
That's why they're bringing in former Cleveland Browns 7th-round pick Isaiah Thomas, who was a star for the Oklahoma Sooners once upon a time.
Thomas not only came out in the same year as Denver Broncos star pass rusher Nik Bonitto, but the two did their best to absolutely terrorize quarterbacks while they were together at Oklahoma. If Thomas can impress with his audition at the Denver Broncos' rookie minicamp over the weekend, he could officially reunite with Bonitto and bring the fearsome pass rush duo to the Mile High City.
Denver Broncos giving Isaiah Thomas a shot to reunite with Nik Bonitto at minicamp
From 2020-21, both Isaiah Thomas and Nik Bonitto made life miserable for opposing teams on the Oklahoma defense. Over the course of those two seasons, they combined for 31.5 total sacks and a whopping 50 total tackles for loss.
They formed one of the best pass rush duos in the league, but it's been Bonitto who has had an outstanding NFL career up to this point with Thomas fighting for a 90-man roster spot. Although if you looked at his combination of size, athleticism, and production at the college level, that really makes no sense at all.
Thomas scored a 9.15 in the RAS department leading up to the NFL Draft, and is a big body off the edge at 6-foot-5, 265 pounds. He was actually the sack leader in the 2021 season at Oklahoma, the final year on campus for both him and Bonitto.
And do you want to know who their outside linebackers/defensive ends coach was during those two seasons? That would be Denver Broncos defensive line coach Jamar Cain, who has now been with the team since Sean Payton was hired as head coach back in 2023.
Cain has done a phenomenal job helping the Denver Broncos develop their pass rushers and defensive linemen over the last handful of seasons, and perhaps he can help get the best out of a player like Isaiah Thomas again. Even though Thomas is only coming to Denver on a tryout basis, you would have to think that Cain was banging the table to at least get him on the practice field.
Thomas has played 12 career games, but hasn't played in a regular season game since 2024 with the Detroit Lions. He spent some time last year with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Now, the opportunity to play with Bonitto and be coached by Cain again is there for the taking. It would be somewhat of a surprise if the Broncos didn't figure out a way to keep him around for some more work this offseason, and maybe he'd be a sleeper if he can earn a contract after the weekend tryout.
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