After parting ways with Randy Gregory earlier this week, the Denver Broncos will now turn to second-year pass rusher Nik Bonitto.
Denver actually already started the transition against the Chicago Bears in Week 4 when Bonitto started over Gregory and totaled four tackles and 2.5 sacks in a 31-28 victory.
“Thought he played well,” coach Sean Payton said after last week’s win in Chicago. “Getting more reps. We had him starting ahead of Randy, and he’s just got continue to stay at the level of the quarterback, not behind the quarterback. But I felt like the edges were much better today. Those guys played better. Tough quarterback to contain.
“We wanted to make we were cage rushing him and he had to beat us in the pocket and not out of the pocket. We felt like if we could keep him there, we would get an opportunity. Certainly, that’s what happened in the last play where Kareem [Jackson] intercepted it. We had him kind of right where we wanted him in the pocket.”
Bears QB Justin Fields started the game well, but Bonitto forced a strip-sack that teammate Jonathon Cooper returned for a touchdown to tie the game in the fourth quarter. Later, when Denver was defending a lead, Jackson intercepted Fields to secure a victory.
This week, Bonitto and Co. will be going up against Zach Wilson and the New York Jets. Wilson has been sacked 10 times and thrown four interceptions through the first four games of the season.
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