The Denver Broncos were ahead of the curve on Nik Bonitto.
A second-round pick out of Oklahoma in the 2022 draft, he has become a full-time starter and a two-time Pro Bowler. He was also a Second Team All-Pro selection and is second in sacks over the past two seasons.
Heading into the 2026 season, Bonitto is looking to have his best campaign yet, and it sounds like his reputation is continuing to catch up with what the Broncos have always believed.
Nik Bonitto Sends Clear Message After NFL Recognized Broncos Star
GettyNik Bonitto has posted back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons with the Broncos.
Bonitto and the Broncos got word from the league on Friday that the fifth-year pro landed the 32nd spot on the NFL’s Top 100 Players list for the 2026 season, voted in by his peers. It is a six-spot rise for Bonitto, who checked in 38th on the 2025 list. He was unranked in 2024.
Bonitto sent a fitting message after following his strong debut with an even higher ranking.
“Keep on climbing! [hands together/praying and “100” emojis],” Bonitto posted on X on August 7, quoting the Broncos’ post celebrating his accomplishment.
The highlight reel on Bonitto begins with teammate Garett Bolles warming up before a game with the OLB, telling him, “All day. Best in the world” after a rep.
It then cuts to Bolles heaping praise on Bonitto in an interview for the event.
“It’s that first step that’s a freak. And when you get that first step on a tackle, it freaks us all out,” Bolles said. “It’s only about two guys that I know that could ever do it, that’s Von Miller and Nik Bonitto. Dipping and ripping, dipping and ripping, and it freaks tackles out.”
Current & Former Teammates Weigh In on Nik Bonitto
GettyNik Bonitto has earned the respect of his peers.
Broncos defensive lineman Zach Allen voted for Bonitto in the “No. 1” post, saying he believes the pass rusher had a “hell of a year.”
Notably, Bonitto is shown telling himself he is the “best in the world” between plays in the clip.
Washington Commanders Pro Bowl punter Tress Way remarked, “the way he gets off the ball” in sentiments echoed by free agent Pro Bowler and Bonitto’s fellow EDGE Kyle Van Noy, who praised his counterpart.
“Fast off the ball,” Van Noy said during his interview segment. “He’s probably the best right now in the league.”
Teammate Malcolm Roach is then seen hyping Bonitto–who he called “1-5”–up on the sidelines.
“Aw, yeah. Bonitto. Off that edge. Edge rusher, for sure,” Green Bay Packers linebacker Zaire Franklin said during the video about Bonitto, adding, “That speed rush is different. That get-off is different.”
Kansas City Chiefs center Creed Humphrey said, “You got to get a good get-off” when lining up against Bonitto.
Otherwise, it is a done deal in the Broncos’ star’s favor.
“If you’re not on that snap count, if you’re not getting off good, he’s gonna beat you around that edge,” Humphrey–Bonitto’s former college teammate and draft classmate who has faced the Broncos twice a year since entering the league–said.
More Praise for Nik Bonitto
GettyPlayers around the league respect what Nik Bonitto has done.
Houston Texans star defensive end Will Anderson Jr. also lauded Bonitto, citing the Broncos EDGE’s motor.
Anderson said Bonitto rushes “like none other.”
“He’s just relentless,” Anderson–who reset the market for edge defenders with his record-setting contract extension this offseason–said during his 1-on-1 interview. “And as an edge rusher, you got to be relentless.”
Anderson’s teammate, Danielle Hunter, weighed in, too, noting Bonitto’s “bend off the edge” after the snap, saying, “He’s able to just run by guys as if they were standing still.”
“His closing speed, how he’s able to just close to the quarterback is just–in no time,” he said.
The coolest one, I think, was when we played the Chargers the first time, and he just absolutely timed the snap on Joe Alt,” Allen said. “Joe, everyone knows how great of a player he is, just couldn’t even touch him.”
Towards the end of the reel, Roach is seen telling Bonitto he was “in the zone” during a game.
Franklin closed out the testimonials, saying, “You got a guy like Bonitto off that edge, that changes the game.”
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