The Denver Broncos feared that they may be the latest victims of what is turning into a brutal early training camp for young pass rushers after Nik Bonitto was seen limping off the field during Tuesday’s practice.
The NFL has already lost two exciting starting edge rushers to season-ending injuries already in the Atlanta Falcons’ Jalon Walker and the Carolina Panthers Nic Scourton, both of whom were primed for breakout seasons in their sophomore years in the league after showing distinct promise as rookies.
Bonitto missed practice on Wednesday but returned on Thursday for walkthroughs, although he subsequently moved to a side field rather than practice with the rest of the team.
Fans were given another encouraging sign from the All-Pro pass rusher as video footage from DNVR’s Zac Stevens reveals that he was able to put pressure on his lower body during drills as he returned to practice on Friday.
Stevens’ video shows Bonitto (#15), hitting a pad being held by a trainer at pace, whilst appearing to have good mobility bending down and maintaining explosiveness going forward from a standing stance.
Considering Bonitto’s injury appeared to be an issue with his legs â given the limp â it is excellent to see that one of the defensive cornerstones seems to not have any major issues.
Head coach Sean Payton did not disclose to the media the nature of Bonitto’s apparent injury.
The 2022 second round pick signed a four year, $106 million extension last September and subsequently put up a career high in sacks (14) and tied his personal record for forced fumbles (2), en route to earning a second Pro Bowl nod.
What are the Expectations for the Broncos Pass Rush in 2026?
The Broncos led the league in sacks in 2025 as they came arguably within an unfortunate Bo Nix injury-distance of making the Super Bowl. Denver recorded 68 sacks, the most in the league by 11, and the tied-5th most of any team in NFL history.
So coming anywhere near that vicinity would undoubtedly be considered a great success in 2026. But it does also mean that expectations are through the roof for the Broncos pass rush.
Bonitto himself has continued to improve every year, and after getting surpassed by the likes of Jaelan Phillips in the salary department, he will likely be due a raise if he has yet another productive season with double-digit sacks.
Especially in the light of the uncertain future surrounding fellow starting outside linebacker, Jonathan Cooper, who is facing felony assault charges linked to two incidents this past offseason concerning his at-the-time girlfriend.
Denver can certainly count on some additional contributions from second-stringers Jonah Elliss and Dondrea Tillman, both of whom have been effective rotational rushers over the past two seasons.
However the team did lose John Franklin-Myers and his 7.5 sacks to the Tennessee Titans this offseason, with whom the former Jet signed a three-year, $63 million free agent deal.
As for now â and certainly for Bonitto â things are looking up in Denver.
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