The Denver Broncos have one of the best pass rushing duos in the NFL, but recent rankings seem to spoil that party. Both Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper, in their third and fourth years in the NFL, had career seasons. Both Bonitto and Cooper had double-digit sacks and ended the season as the NFL's leading pass-rushing duo, with 24 combined sacks.
Bonitto had 13.5 and also added 16 tackles for loss, 24 QB hits, and two defensive touchdowns. The Broncos did extend Jonathon Cooper, and should have a deal coming for Nik Bonitto quite soon. Not only did Bonitto have a breakout season, but he was top-10 in sacks, tackles for loss, and QB hits.
By all metrics, Nik Bonitto is one of the best rushers in the NFL, but recent PFF rankings may tell us otherwise...
Nik Bonitto ranked 23rd among all pass rushers, according to PFF
Here is PFF's top 32 EDGE defender rankings, where Bonitto was placed 23rd:
"Bonitto has steadily improved through his first three NFL seasons, boosting his PFF grade from 52.4 as a rookie in 2022 to 78.7 in 2024. He ranked third in the league with 13.5 sacks and earned the highest coverage grade among edge defenders at 92.6."Ryan Smith
This is honestly just embarrassing from PFF if you ask me. Players like Carl Granderson, Bradley Chubb, Abdul Carter, and Jaelan Phillips are all ranked ahead of Bonitto. Heck, Carter has not taken a single snap in the NFL!
I mean, what are we doing here...? This ranking almost leaves me speechless, as it's clearly not based in logic or season. Bonitto has steadily improved each year of his NFL career and was consistent all throughout the 2024 NFL Season.
Sure, he's a bit undersized, but that obviously did not impact him all that much. What we can say though is that he is one of the anchors of the defense and should be soon signing a long-term contract extension. He's turned into one of the best draft picks of the George Paton era, and the Broncos do have a strong, recent history of taking care of their own, so there is no reason to believe that they won't get a deal done with Bonitto.