The Denver Broncos made a bold and rather surprising move to let go of former big-money free agent signing Randy Gregory. Although head coach Sean Payton stated that the team was still trying to trade Randy Gregory (and no transaction is yet official), the only reports we have right now are the Broncos moving on from Randy Gregory, whether they cut him outright or trade him to another team. One way or another, I think we were on our way to seeing less of Randy Gregory, and now we won't see him at all.
With Gregory out of the picture, it seems the Denver Broncos want to commit to more of a youth movement off the edge than having Randy Gregory and Frank Clark eating up a ton of snaps if they're not going to produce.
We already know that Jonathon Cooper is entrenched as a starter on this Denver Broncos defense, but which players will we see a lot more of heading into Week 5 now with Gregory out of the picture?
3 pass rushers we'll see more of for Denver Broncos after Randy Gregory move
1. Nik Bonitto
The most obvious player who benefits from the team's decision to let go of Randy Gregory is second-year player Nik Bonitto. Bonitto replaced Gregory in the Broncos' starting lineup in Week 4 against the Chicago Bears and put together the best performance we've seen from him so far in orange and blue.
The former second-round pick out of Oklahoma had 2.5 sacks, 2 QB hits, a forced fumble, and 2.0 tackles for loss against the Bears, and he's already matched his rookie season total of six pressures in just four games this season.
Bonitto was a consistent pass rusher at Oklahoma and the Broncos knew he might be a little raw when they drafted him last year, but he does appear to be taking that next step as a player in 2023.