Tag: pass rusher

Broncos OLB Jonah Elliss had shoulder surgery; made All-Rookie team

Broncos OLB Jonah Elliss underwent shoulder surgery after making the PFWA’s All-Rookie Team in 2024.

Denver Broncos outside linebacker Jonah Elliss underwent should surgery last week, his father, Luther Elliss, confirmed to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis.

Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette previously broke the news about Elliss suffering a fractured scapula bone in the team’s playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills. At the time of the initial report, it was not yet known if the pass rusher would undergo surgery.

Elliss (6-2, 246 pounds) eventually did undergo surgery, putting his status in doubt for the team’s offseason program this spring.

The Broncos picked Elliss in the third round of last year’s NFL draft out of Utah. He served as a rotational outside linebacker in his rookie season, totaling 38 tackles, six quarterback hits, five sacks and two pass breakups in 17 games (playing 38% of the defensive snaps).

Following his impressive season, Elliss made the Pro Football Writers of America’s All-Rookie Team. He was Denver’s only player to take home that honor following the 2024 season.

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Injury update for Broncos OLB Jonah Elliss after shoulder blade fracture

Broncos OLB Jonah Elliss suffered a fractured scapula bone against the Bills, but he should be healed in time for the offseason program.

Denver Broncos outside linebacker Jonah Elliss left the team’s Wild Card playoff game against the Buffalo Bills in the second quarter of a 31-7 loss on Jan. 12. Elliss was later ruled out with a shoulder injury.

We now know that Elliss suffered a fractured scapula bone, according to a report from the Denver Gazette‘s Chris Tomasson. Fortunately, the pass rusher is expected to be healed in time for the offseason program.

“It’s just a broken bone, so six weeks,” the edge defender’s father, Luther Elliss, told Tomasson in an interview.

The elder Elliss said they’re still determining if the pass rusher will undergo surgery. Even if he does, Elliss is expected to be back in time for Denver’s offseason workouts this spring.

Elliss, 21, was picked by the Broncos in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft out of Utah. He served as a rotational pass rusher in his rookie season, totaling six quarterback hits and five sacks on 434 snaps (17 games). Elliss will look to build on those totals in 2025 once recovered.

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Broncos GM George Paton comments on Nik Bonitto’s extension status

No extension talks yet, but George Paton said the Broncos would “obviously” like to have Nik Bonitto with the team long term.

Following his third season in the NFL, Denver Broncos pass rusher Nik Bonitto is now eligible to receive a contract extension. Bonitto still has one year left on his rookie deal, but NFL rules would allow the Broncos to give him an extension before that deal expires — if they’d like to.

Will the team give him an extension this offseason?

“It’s a really good question,” Denver general manager George Paton said during his end-of-season press conference on Wednesday. “We haven’t even had those conversations yet. I mean, Nik has had a great year, obviously, we’d love to have Nik here long term.”

The Broncos gave fellow pass rusher Jonathon Cooper a four-year, $54 million extension last fall before his rookie deal was set to expire this spring. A similar timeline for Bonitto could see him get an in-season extension in 2025.

“We love ‘Coop,’ we like the group,” Paton said. “But we haven’t had those discussions [with Bonitto] yet, so we’ll see where that goes.”

A behind-the-scenes clip of Paton’s reaction to drafting Bonitto in 2022 has been a hit on social media this year:

Bonitto, 25, had a career year in 2024 with 13.5 sacks. He also scored two defensive touchdowns.

Now going into the final year of his contract, Bonitto has 23 sacks on his resume through 47 games (20 starts) in Denver.

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Broncos OLB Nik Bonitto posts cryptic message on social media

Not everyone thinks the Broncos should give Nik Bonitto an extension in 2025. Perhaps that’s what he was referring to?

After wrapping up his third season in the NFL, Denver Broncos outside linebacker Nik Bonitto is now eligible to receive a contract extension, but it remains to be seen if the team will give him one.

Bonitto took to social media on Tuesday with cryptic message that was seemingly posted in response to something he’s seen or heard.

Bonitto could be responding to anything, but the discourse on Twitter/X about a potential extension easily could have popped up on his timeline.

One fan used a meme of a famous Norman Rockwell painting on Monday to note that he does not think Bonitto should get an extension this offseason.

That fan was not alone, either.

“[T]hey don’t need to extend him a year early,” @SuperrNova38 wrote. “See what he dues next year before you shell out that money even if it costs you more.”

Bonitto didn’t respond to anyone specifically, so it’s unclear exactly what his tweet was responding to.

For full disclosure, it should be noted that Broncos Wire might not have helped the matter by publishing this early Tuesday morning:

Bonitto is a great pass rusher, but he’s still not stout enough defending the run. Jonathon Cooper is probably the team’s most well-rounded edge defender, but he’s not an elite pass rusher. The Broncos can probably afford to go into 2025 with the same starters, but an outside linebacker capable of setting the edge would be a useful addition.

Bonitto, 25, totaled 13.5 sacks in 2024 and scored two defensive touchdowns. He has one year left on his contract with Denver.

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Watch Nik Bonitto’s teary post-game interview with 9News after Broncos’ loss

“It stings,” Broncos pass rusher Nik Bonitto said after a playoff loss to the Bills on Sunday.

The Denver Broncos were knocked out of the playoffs following a 31-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, ending their impressive season.

Going into the year, the Broncos were given an over/under line of 5.5 wins in 2024. Denver ended up smashing the over with a 10-7 record, but their overachieving season came to an end in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.

Following the loss in Buffalo, Broncos pass rusher Nik Bonitto gave a teary interview to Scotty Gange of 9News.

“Knowing the kind of work that we put in this year, and we didn’t get the result that we wanted — it stings,” Bonitto said. “But I’m also proud because I know how many doubters we proved wrong this year. And how many people didn’t have us for nothing. We didn’t care, we just came to work every week, so I was really proud of the guys.”

Bonitto totaled four tackles and one quarterback hit on Sunday. He ranked third in the regular season with 13.5 sacks, a new career high. Bonitto and Co. will now look to improve on the 2024 campaign next season.

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Von Miller gives his take on Garett Bolles before facing ex-teammate

“He’s one of the best left tackles in the league,” Von Miller said of former teammate Garett Bolles, who he will face on Sunday.

Von Miller and Garett Bolles were teammates with the Denver Broncos from 2017-2021. Although they haven’t played together in four years, Miller said this week that they still talk to each other once or twice every month.

Miller, who now plays for the Buffalo Bills, is set to face Bolles in the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs on Sunday.

“When I’m on the phone with Garett Bolles, it doesn’t feel like he’s on the Denver Broncos, I’m on the Buffalo Bills,” Miller said Wednesday. “It just feels like we’re in a locker room on whatever team it is and we just catching up with each other. It’s all love and respect.”

Given their close friendship, it’s no surprise that Miller was full of praise for his former teammate ahead of Sunday’s game.

“I feel like he’s one of the best left tackles in the league,” Miller said after admitting his bias. “I’ve seen him grow from when he came in to the guy he is now. He’s the longest-tenured Denver Bronco on the team. It’s crazy because when he came, it was probably Year 7 for me when I was there and now he’s the longest-tenured Denver Bronco there.

“So it’s an incredible moment. Garett Bolles is one of the best tackles in the league, he’s playing really really good. He’s going to play really good on Sunday, we just gotta find a way to be able to make plays. He’s played against some of the top pass rushers in the league … he does an excellent job.”

Bolles, 32, has been credited with allowing two sacks this season, according to Pro Football Focus. Miller, 35, totaled six sacks in 2024, including one sack in each of Buffalo’s final two games of the regular season.

Sunday’s game will be nationally televised on CBS. Playing on the road, Denver is considered a big underdog against the Bills.

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Broncos OLB Jonathon Cooper nominated for Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award

The Broncos nominated OLB Jonathon Cooper nominated for the 2024 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award.

Denver Broncos outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper has been nominated for the 2024 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award. Each team in the NFL nominates one player they believe exemplifies outstanding sportsmanship, and the list is later narrowed down to eight finalists. 

Troy Vincent, the NFL executive vice president of football operations, stated what being nominated for this award represents.

“Sportsmanship is at the very the core of the game, the foundation of our values that are shared across all levels of the sport,” Vincent said. “These Rooney Sportsmanship Award nominees demonstrate to the world how the game is played with respect and integrity at the highest level of competition.”

Cooper, a 2021 seventh-round pick out of Ohio State, he has been a key contributor for the Broncos. With one game remaining, Cooper has totaled 56 tackles and 9.5 sacks. Denver rewarded the pass rusher with a four-year, $54 million contract extension earlier this season. 

The winner of this season’s Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award will be announced during NFL Honors before the Super Bowl in February.

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2 ex-Broncos players find teams after clearing NFL’s waiver wire

After clearing waivers, Shaq Barrett re-joined the Bucs and Kwon Alexander signed with Detroit’s practice squad.

A pair of former Denver Broncos players have found homes after clearing the NFL’s waiver wire.

Last week, the Miami Dolphins waived pass rusher Shaq Barrett from their reserve/retired list, allowing him to potentially play again in 2024. After Barrett cleared waivers, he became a free agent.

Barrett then signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, reuniting with the team that he played with from 2019-2023. Barrett played for the Broncos from 2014-2018, winning Super Bowl 50 with Denver. He later won Super Bowl LV with the Bucs.

Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions waived linebacker Kwon Alexander from their active roster last week. After clearing waivers, Alexander returned to the Lions on the practice squad.

Alexander joined the Broncos in September after the team lost Alex Singleton to a season-ending knee injury. He was elevated from Denver’s practice squad to the game-day roster three times this fall.

Detroit poached Alexander from the Broncos’ practice squad on Nov. 29. He has now been bumped down to the Lions’ practice squad.

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Steelers LB T.J. Watt praises Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes’ Week 17 performance

All-Pro #Steelers LB T.J. Watt praised #Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes after Pittsburgh’s Week 17 matchup against Kansas City. | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs won their 15th game of the season last Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, holding off a talented defensive unit led by star pass rusher T.J. Watt. The former Defensive Player of the Year shared his thoughts on playing against Patrick Mahomes during his Week 17 postgame press conference.

“Yeah, it’s no secret that he’s a (great) player. He has great weapons. They have a good scheme,” said Watt. “You can’t afford to spot them points and allow them to scramble around in the pocket and have time, and we didn’t have any success on any of the things I just said.”

Watt and the Pittsburgh defense could not pressure Mahomes enough for a sack, as the Chiefs’ offensive line stood firm throughout the contest. The recent switch of Joe Thuney to left tackle and Mike Caliendo to guard has been a significant factor over the three-game stretch.

Mahomes finished the game completing 29 of 38 passes for 320 yards with three touchdowns and a 127.1 passer rating. The performance against Pittsburgh’s defense marked his 48th regular season 300-yard passing game and his 56th career game with a 100.0+ passer rating.

Dolphins allow ex-Broncos pass rusher to unretire and return to NFL

The Dolphins are waiving Shaq Barrett, allowing him to unretire and return to the NFL.

The Miami Dolphins have had a change of heart.

A month ago, pass rusher Shaq Barrett announced that he planned to unretire and return to the NFL. Because he signed a one-year deal with the Dolphins earlier this year, Barrett was still under contract with Miami.

In order to return to the NFL, Barrett needed to either be activated to the Dolphins’ 53-man roster or cut so he could join another team. Miami initially choose neither option, blocking Barrett’s return by keeping him on the reserve/retired list.

The Dolphins have now changed their mind and the team will waive Barrett from the waived/retired list today, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The pass rusher will still need a favor from NFL teams in order to play again this season.

If Barrett is claimed off waivers, he won’t be eligible to play until the 2025 season. If he clears waivers, Barrett will be able to sign anywhere as a free agent and play again this season. So Miami’s giving him a chance, but we’ll see if it works out.

Barrett, 32, spent the first five years of his career with the Denver Broncos, winning Super Bowl 50. He later spent five years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and won a second Super Bowl. The veteran pass rusher has 59.0 career sacks on his resume.

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