Tag: Nik Bonitto

Nik Bonitto, P.J. Locke estimated non-participants on Broncos’ injury report

Broncos OLB Nik Bonitto (knee) and DB P.J. Locke (neck) were estimated non-participants on Tuesday’s injury report.

The Denver Broncos did not practice on Tuesday, but with a Saturday game in Week 15, the team is required by the NFL to release an injury report.

So the Broncos released an estimated injury report and two players — pass rusher Nik Bonitto and safety P.J. Locke — are listed as estimated non-participants.

Bonitto suffered a knee injury in the first half of Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers and did not return. Locke suffered a neck injury but finished the game. Denver pass rusher Jonathon Cooper also finished the game after suffering an ankle injury, and he was estimated to be limited Tuesday.

Perhaps the most encouraging news on the injury front is that guard Quinn Meinerz was an estimated full participant. Meinerz was taken to a hospital at halftime of Sunday’s game with an elevated heart rate. He returned to Denver on Monday.

View the full estimated injury report below.

Player Tue* Wed Thur Game Status
OLB Nik Bonitto (knee) DNP
DB P.J. Locke (neck) DNP
OLB Jonathon Cooper (ankle) Limited
OG Quinn Meinerz (illness) Full
RB Samaje Perine (knee) Full

Denver will practice on Wednesday and Thursday before releasing a final injury report with game statuses for Saturday’s game against the Detroit Lions.

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Broncos injury updates: Quinn Meinerz is ‘going to be fine’

Broncos guard Quinn Meinerz (heart) is expected to be fine, but there’s no word yet on pass rusher Nik Bonitto (knee).

Denver Broncos guard Quinn Meinerz was taken to a local hospital at halftime of the team’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers with an elevated heart rate on Sunday afternoon.

As a precaution, Meinerz stayed at the Los Angeles hospital overnight, and it sounds like he is expected to be fine and return to Denver on Monday.

“Quinn will be back today,” coach Sean Payton said during his conference call Monday. “That’s really any update we have.”

Later during the call, when asked about Luke Wattenberg filling in at right guard, Payton added this: “I’m certainly relieved to know that Quinn is healthy and is going to be fine.”

Broncos fans can breathe a sigh of relief on that front.

We know less about the status of outside linebacker Nik Bonitto, who was ruled out of Sunday’s game in the first half with a knee injury. Payton did not provide a status update for Bonitto on Sunday after game or during Monday’s call.

Denver outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper, safety P.J. Locke and cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian also appeared to get banged up on Sunday as well, but all three returned to the game and finished the contest.

We’ll know more about the statuses of the Broncos’ injured players when the team releases an injury report on Wednesday.

The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: Previewing Week 13’s biggest NFL matchups

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys go deep on Week 13’s biggest NFL matchup with tape and metrics.

It’s time for Week 13 of the 2023 NFL season, including three Thanksgiving games, and the league’s first Black Friday contest ever. Greg Cosell of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup, and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire and the USA Today Sports Media Group, are here to get you ready for the most important matchups:

Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys: Can Seattle fix its passing game, and deal with a version of Dak Prescott that might be the best we’ve seen?

Denver Broncos at Houston Texans: The underrated players who are at the heart of Denver’s drastic defensive improvement over the last five games.

San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles: How both of these teams set up future plays with current plays, and a throw from Brock Purdy you have to see to believe. Also, Jason Kelce might be playing the best football of his Hall of Fame career.

Kansas City Chiefs at Green Bay Packers: This Super Bowl I “rematch” comes at a time when Packers quarterback Jordan Love is coming into his own as a franchise quarterback.

Cincinnati Bengals at Jacksonville Jaguars: We have not talked enough about the 9-3 Jaguars on both sides of the ball. We would like to apologize, and go deep on Jacksonville’s pressure packages, and how they get their receivers open with scheme.

You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os” right here:

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You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

Ex-Broncos pass rusher Frank Clark signing with Seahawks

After being cut by the Broncos, Frank Clark is returning to the Seahawks.

Ex-Denver Broncos pass rusher Frank Clark is now expected to sign with the Seattle Seahawks, according to multiple reports.

Clark was a Bronco for about six weeks before Denver released him. Clark came to Denver on a one-year, $5.45 million contract from the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs in the hopes of boosting a flagging pass rush.

Clark only appeared in two games for Denver, where he recorded only two tackles.

The Broncos have not had a lot of success with free agent pass rushers the past few years, signing Clark and ex-Cowboy Randy Gregory. Gregory was benched and then traded to the San Francisco 49ers earlier this month.

Clark looks to get back into the playoff picture with the Seahawks, who are now 4-2.

In the meantime, Denver will turn to young players such as Nik Bonitto, Baron Browning and Jonathan Cooper to kickstart a Vance Joseph-led pass rush.

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Broncos to count on Nik Bonitto after parting with Randy Gregory

Broncos pass rusher Nik Bonitto already started one game in the place of Randy Gregory. The result: 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble.

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.

Follow the Broncos Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

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Broncos snap count notes: Randy Gregory benched before trade

Before he was traded, Randy Gregory was benched by the Broncos on Sunday. Accountability on defense.

Story update: Before the release became official, the Broncos agreed to trade Randy Gregory to the 49ers in exchange for a late-round draft pick. See our original post below. 

The Denver Broncos are coming off a 31-28 win over the Chicago Bears that featured two changes in the starting lineup on defense. Here are some quick snap count notes from the victory.

Studs and duds from Broncos’ 31-28 win over Bears

Here are the Broncos’ studs and duds from their first win of the season.

Once again, it was a tale of two halves for the Denver Broncos. This time, the Broncos completed an absolutely improbable comeback against the Chicago Bears for their first win of 2023 with a 31-28 victory.

Here are the studs and duds from the win.

10 takeaways from the Broncos’ 31-28 win over Bears

Here are our top takeaways from the Broncos’ first win of the 2023 NFL season.

The Denver Broncos defeated the Chicago Bears in a 31-28 comeback win on Sunday afternoon, securing their first victory of the 2023 NFL season.

Here are ten quick takeaways following Denver’s win.

Russell Wilson leads Broncos to 31-28 comeback win over Bears

The Broncos trailed the Bears 28-7 in the third quarter and then came back to win 31-28! What a performance from Russell Wilson!

After trailing the Chicago Bears 28-7 in the third quarter, Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson led a second-half comeback to secure the team’s first victory of the 2023 NFL season with a 31-28 win.

Denver started the game on defense with two changes to the starting lineup — Nik Bonitto started at outside linebacker in the place of Randy Gregory and Ja’Quan McMillian started in the place of Essang Bassey at slot cornerback.

Bonitto’s early sack helped the Broncos force the Bears into a 3-and-out on their opening drive and Chicago chose not to go for it on 4th-and-2 near midfield, opting to punt to Denver instead.

The Broncos then went on an 11-play, 84-yard drive that ended with quarterback Russell Wilson connecting on a screen pass to running back Jaleel McLaughlin for an 18-yard touchdown to take a 7-0 lead.

Chicago matched that score when Justin Fields connected with D. J. Moore on a 29-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter to make it 7-7. On the ensuing kickoff, Denver rookie receiver Marvin Mims muffed the ball and recovered his own fumble before being tackled at the 4-yard line.

Pinned deep in their own territory, the Broncos were unable to pick up a first down and ended up punting back to the Bears. Chicago then went 44 yards and Fields threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to tight end Cole Kmet to make it 14-7.

Following another Denver punt, Fields led an 85-yard drive and threw another touchdown pass to Kmet to extend the lead to 21-7. At that point in the second quarter, Fields was 12-of-12 passing for 185 yards with three touchdowns.

In the second half, Fields threw a forth touchdown pass — a two-yard toss to running back Khalil Herbert — to make it 28-7. The Broncos finally scored again late in the third quarter when Wilson threw a four-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brandon Johnson to make it 28-14.

After a Bears punt, Wilson later threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Courtland Sutton to cut the deficit to 28-21 midway through the fourth quarter.

On Chicago’s next drive, Bonitto strip-sacked Fields and fellow pass rusher Jonathon Cooper recovered the fumble and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown to tie the game 28-28. The Bears then went 82 yards and got down to Denver’s 18-yard line before turning the ball over on downs.

Wilson then led a five-play, 48-yard drive that ended with a 51-yard Wil Lutz field goal to give the Broncos a 31-28 lead with under two minutes remaining. Chicago’s own comeback attempt fell short after Fields was intercepted by safety Kareem Jackson to seal the game.

On the injury front, Broncos running back Javonte Williams left the game in the first half with a hip injury and he did not return.

Up next for Denver is a home game against the New York Jets in Week 5.

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WATCH: Jonathon Cooper scores after Nik Bonitto strip-sack

Finally, a big play from the Broncos’ defense! Nik Bonitto with the strip-sack and Jonathon Cooper with the TD return to tie the game!

After a terrible first three quarters against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, the Denver Broncos’ defense made a big play in the fourth quarter to tie the game.

Broncos pass rusher Nik Bonitto strip-sacked Bears quarterback Justin Fields and fellow pass rusher Jonathon Cooper recovered the ball and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown.

Here’s video of the play, courtesy of the team’s official Twitter page:

At the time of publication, Denver and Chicago are tied 28-28 with 6:55 remaining in the game.

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