Denver Broncos 3 Mid-Season Stars on Defense

The Denver Broncos' defense has had an incredible turnaround of late. The team allowed 70 points to the Miami Dolphins and was dead in the water. After a 1-5 start, the Broncos are now 4-5 with a two-game stretch of NINE takeaways, including four interceptions of Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes.

The defense has turned around completely from the start of the year, and is playing as one of the strongest units in football. As the unit heads into the second half of the year on a high note, it is time to acknowledge some of their best players. Here are three stars for the Broncos defense so far in 2023.

Third Star: OLB Jonathon Cooper

In his first season as a full-time starter, Jonathon Cooper has stepped up to the task. The former Ohio State Buckeye is sitting at 4.5 sacks through nine games, just one off from a team-high. Cooper entered the year with 4.5 sacks and 76 total tackles in his career. So far through his 2023 campaign, Cooper is on pace to rack up around 8.5 sacks, 80 tackles, 15 quarterback hits, and six tackles for losses.

Cooper's season was not anticipated to be this important, considering the Broncos started the year with Randy Gregory and Frank Clark on the outside. Cooper, matched with Nik Bonitto, has become a starter on the outside for the Broncos, and is having the best year of his young career. For this, Cooper earns our third star