Despite the Broncos leading the NFL in sacks by a considerable margin, their pass rush unit has been missing a key piece over the past month or so. Second-year man Jonah Elliss has not appeared in a game for the Broncos since injuring himself in Week 5 in Philadelphia, missing Denver's last two games. His presence has been missed, especially against a more mobile quarterback last week in Jaxson Dart.
As the Broncos prepare to face off against the NFL's premier offense in the Dallas Cowboys, they'll need all the defensive help they can get. Eliss has been a staple in Denver's defensive rotations since he debuted last season, and his absence was notable the past few weeks. Thankfully for the Broncos, he is getting healthy at just the right time.
The former Utah edge rusher was a full participant in practice on Thursday for the first time since his injury against the Eagles. In just 22 career games as a rotational piece, Eliss has already recorded six sacks, ten tackles for loss, and eight quarterback hits. His presence is consistently felt in the offensive backfield, and he'll face a tough test in his first game back against Dak Prescott.
Jonah Elliss' return is a key addition for the Denver Broncos and Vance Joseph
The strength of the Broncos' defense last season was their ability to rotate defenders in and out without a considerable drop in talent or production. In their dramatic win over the Giants, the Broncos' pass rush seemed to be a bit tamer than in other games and did not have as much of an impact as they typically do. With Eliss out of the picture, their pass rush rotation was not as effective as it normally is.
A returning Eliss should give the Broncos a major boost. Notably, it seemed as though Nik Bonitto was gassed on Sunday and not as effective as usual. In an emotion-filled matchup, Bonitto had a mostly empty stat line and went without a sack, also costing him his league lead in the category.
Eliss had seen a strong share of rotational snaps before injury, and should allow the Broncos to be more selective with Bonitto and his running mate, Jonathon Cooper, preserving their usage and allowing for more effective snaps. The Broncos' defense is loaded with young talent, and a name like Eliss is one that can fly under the radar more often than others, such as Bonitto and Riley Moss.
With one of their best young edge rushers returning, the Broncos can expect a bump in their pass rushing at just the right time.