Could the Denver Broncos have an under-the-radar player who could unexpectedly see his time with the team come to an end in the near future?
Maybe this is a stretch, but maybe it isn't. One of the only issues that comes with having a ton of good players is that it's simply impossible for all of them to stick around - it's impossible to pay everyone, and not even the Philadelphia Eagles can do it.
Denver is already in a similar boat, as all of Nik Bonitto, Zach Allen, Courtland Sutton, and perhaps even John Franklin-Myers are in need of new deals, but it feels unlikely that all four get extensions. Anyway, this key defensive player might see that clock on the wall start ticking faster and faster, but it's not who you think.
Tick, tick, tick...
Jonathon Cooper was a seventh-round pick of the Denver Broncos back in the 2021 NFL Draft and has now emerged as one of the better and more consistent pass rushers in the NFL. He broke out in 2024 with 10.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, and 20 QB hits. Cooper also recently inked a four-year extension with the team, but will he even make it through that extension with the Broncos?
Cooper turns 28 in January, so slowly but surely, he's beginning to get up there in age. Furthermore, the Broncos have other pass rushers in the room like Dondrea Tillman, Que Robinson, and Jonah Elliss. With the team surely wanting to make sure Nik Bonitto gets a deal, could Denver make a bold move, and at some point in the near future, perhaps in the next year or two, find a way to move on from Cooper?
Even a post-June 1st trade in the 2026 NFL Offseason could save Denver $12 million on their cap and only force them to eat $2 million in dead money. It might seem way out of left field for me to suggest this, but there are just so many cooks in the kitchen on defense, and Denver simply might not have the finances to keep all of them around.
But back to Jonah Elliss in particular - the 2024 NFL Draft pick just turned 22 years old, and in very limited action in 2024, was able to rack up five sacks, seven tackles for loss, and six QB hits. Elliss may honestly be someone the Broncos would love to get into the starting lineup as early as late in the 2025 season or perhaps when 2026 rolls around.
I love Jonathon Cooper - he's made a great career for himself and has turned into one of the most successful seventh-round picks in recent NFL history, but this league is a business, so you just never know if the Broncos would have to make a bold move here at some point.