HEADLINES

Nik Bonitto

AFC West Notes: Broncos, Adams, Perryman

August 14th, 2025 at 6:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

Nik Bonitto played in the Broncos‘ preseason opener but will miss some time leading up to the season. The 2024 All-Pro selection is down because of a procedure to have a bone spur removed in the top of his foot, per 9News’ Mike Klis. Sean Payton expects Bonitto to be ready to return by next week, though it can be safely assumed the edge rusher’s preseason is over. The Broncos also have an extension to sort out with Bonitto, who is entering a contract year. Denver has reached agreements with Courtland Sutton and Zach Allen during training camp, and a few Bonitto contract rumors have circulated this offseason.

This injury rehab stretch could give Bonitto’s camp time to hammer out a deal before the team’s top sack artist returns to practice, though the prospect of a Micah Parsons Cowboys extension raising the market’s ceiling — and thus the kind of deal Bonitto could command south of Parsons’ price point — could factor into the proceedings here.

Here is the latest from the AFC West:

  • Another injury development coming out of Denver is not as kind. Fullback/tight end Nate Adkins will miss regular-season time due to a tightrope procedure to address a high ankle sprain, Payton said. Adkins could be a candidate for one of the Broncos’ two allotted August IR-return slots. Teams must announce the players for those spots by roster-cutdown day August 26. Those moves count toward teams’ eight injury activations — whether the player is eventually activated or not — in-season. Adkins played a healthy amount of snaps last season, logging 420 during a 10-start season. He caught 14 passes for 115 yards and three TDs last season, his second with the Broncos.
  • The Broncos might need to consider a fourth active-roster RB due to J.K. Dobbins‘ injury history; their early hierarchy may exclude a 2024 draft pick. Audric Estime did not enter the team’s preseason opener until the third quarter, as his entrance came after Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie saw action. The Broncos also have Blake Watson as a candidate, and the 2024 UDFA entered the game in the second half as well. Estime is firmly on the roster bubble, the Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel notes. It would not surprise if the team aimed to trade one of its options before cutdown day later this month, but ensuring two of these players are rostered behind Dobbins and R.J. Harvey would make sense as well.
  • Jamal Adams is vying for a Raiders roster spot and doing so, technically, at a new position. Adams is giving linebacker another try, confirming (via the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore) Pete Carroll told him immediately he would be working there. The Seahawks had asked Adams to play linebacker before, but he declined at the time. The 2024 Seattle cap casualty played sparingly as a backup with the Titans and Lions, representing a steep fall from formerly signing a safety-record extension. Adams’ best work has always come in the box or as a safety blitzer, making a linebacker transition more natural. On a one-year, $1.26MM contract with no guarantees, the ninth-year vet is also not exactly in a position to refuse such a request.
  • The gun charges against linebacker Denzel Perryman has been dropped, The Athletic’s Daniel Popper notes. Perryman was arrested on felony weapons charges during a traffic stop earlier this month. Five firearms, including two assault-style rifles, were found in the Chargers defender’s vehicle. He was initially held without bail, but ESPN.com’s Kris Rhim notes Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman declined to file charges. Perryman is on a one-year, $2.66MM deal to continue a second Chargers stint.

Broncos, OLB Nik Bonitto Working Towards Extension

July 20th, 2025 at 9:57pm CST by Ely Allen

PFR identified Broncos outside linebacker Nik Bonitto as an extension candidate back in December, and three weeks later we saw reports that the team had interest. In May, it was reported that talks had begun with some anticipation of things heating up coming late last month. In the wake of his fellow 2022 NFL draftee George Karlaftis getting a four year, $88MM extension today, Bonitto gave reporters some insight on his own extension talks.

In an interview with Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette, Bonitto responded to a question concerning the timing of when an extension may occur. “No time period,” Bonitto said. “I know these things can happen tomorrow or happen months from now. I kind of just keep it day by day and keep the focus on football.” 

Karlaftis’ new deal puts him at 10th in the NFL in terms of average annual value. He hasn’t been a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate, but he’s been the top sack-getter on a Super Bowl team for the past two years, topping out at 10.5 in 2023 and 24.5 for his career. Bonitto’s output has been a bit different.

Playing behind Baron Browning, Jonathon Cooper, and Bradley Chubb in his rookie season, Bonitto became a bigger part of the pass rush once Chubb was traded to Miami midway through the season, though he was still coming off the bench. With only one start in 15 games, Bonitto only tallied 1.5 sacks, one tackle for loss, and three quarterback hits as a rookie. In Year 2, Bonitto benefitted from an early-season absence from Browning. With four starts in 15 games, Bonitto delivered a much-improved eight-sack performance with 13 tackles for loss and 20 quarterback hits.

2024 was the breakout season for Bonitto, though. Another early-season injury to Browning opened the door for Bonitto to work as a full-time starter, and when all was said and done, Browning was traded to Arizona, while Bonitto started the remainder of the season. On a defense that finished seventh in yards allowed, third in points allowed, and led the NFL in sacks, Bonitto has the leading sack-getter, logging 13.5 sacks, 16 tackles for loss, and 24 quarterback hits, not to mention two forced fumbles, four pass deflections, and a 71-yard interception return for a touchdown.

With Bonitto’s clear upwards progression season after season, the Broncos would do well to lock him down for Karlaftis-esque numbers before he adds another 5.5 sacks to his prior year total and costs himself out of Denver. And they may do just that. Some have speculated, though, that Bonitto’s extension may come in a similar fashion as did Cooper’s last year. Cooper signed his four-year, $60MM deal in November, showing that Denver had no objections to working towards big deals midseason.

Based on Bonitto’s quote, he’s seeing the same things we are. Like Karlaftis’ deal, Bonitto offers that an extension could “happen tomorrow.” Or like Cooper’s deal, an extension could “happen months from now.”

Broncos Eyeing Nik Bonitto Extension?

June 26th, 2025 at 10:00am CST by Ben Levine

JUNE 26: While a Bonitto deal could be worked out prior to Week 1, Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post writes a repeat of the Jonathon Cooper situation could be in store. The latter’s four-year, $60MM extension came about in November, a sign of Denver being willing to work out lucrative deals in season. It will be interesting to see how urgently both sides approach an extension in Bonitto’s case.

JUNE 23: The Broncos could be looking to lock up one of their top pass rushers as soon as possible. Nick Kosmider of The Athletic says “it’s fair to assume talks will heat up” between the Broncos and Nik Bonitto as training camp approaches.

Kosmider points directly to last offseason, when the team signed offensive lineman Quinn Meinerz and cornerback Patrick Surtain II just before the start of the regular season. The front office may be following a similar timeline with Bonitto, and Kosmider believes it isn’t in the team’s best interest to drag negotiations into the regular season.

Specifically, the writer is wary of Bonitto quickly compiling some early-season sacks that “could further drive up his asking price.” The former second-round pick is already eyeing an average annual value of at least $20MM, with Kosmider citing Greg Rousseau‘s four-year, $80MM deal and even Brian Burns‘ five-year, $141MM extension.

Bonitto doesn’t have the same starting track record as those two pass rushers, but he is one of the ascending players at his position. After collecting eight sacks in a part-time role in 2024, the linebacker collected 13.5 sacks in his first full season as a starter. That performance earned him second-team All-Pro honors, and Bonitto’s camp will surely be pushing for him to be among the highest-paid players at his position.

Bonitto may also be inclined to see where extensions land for the likes of T.J. Watt, Micah Parsons, and Trey Hendrickson come in, which could slightly delay negotiations between the two sides. Either way, it sounds like the 25-year-old will eventually be signing a lucrative contract, and the Broncos are hoping he’ll put pen to paper as soon as possible.

Zach Allen, Nik Bonitto Higher Broncos Extension Priorities Than Courtland Sutton?

June 13th, 2025 at 1:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

When the Broncos agreed on merely an incentive package with Courtland Sutton last year, they are believed to have targeted 2025 as the window for their top wide receiver to be paid. But big seasons from younger players may affect the receiver’s place in a growing Denver extension queue.

Helping the Broncos’ defense become a top-five unit in 2024, Zach Allen and Nik Bonitto earned second-team All-Pro acclaim. A 2023 free agency addition, Allen is entering an age-28 season. Bonitto joins the disruptive interior D-lineman in a contract year; the former second-round pick will turn 26 in September, soon before Sutton will turn 30 (October).

While Sutton has been an integral part of the Broncos’ offense since they traded Super Bowl-era stalwart Demaryius Thomas at the 2018 trade deadline, it is now possible he has lost ground in a push for an extension due to the level jumps Allen and Bonitto made. The two defenders are considered higher extension priorities compared to Sutton, the Denver Post’s Troy Renck notes. Sutton extension talks dragging would bring another complication to what has been a successful but complicated partnership.

The 2018 second-round pick became a mainstay on the trade block between the 2022 and ’24 trade deadlines. The Broncos dangled Sutton during trade windows between this point, nearly sending him to the Ravens (before the AFC North club’s 2023 Odell Beckham Jr. signing) and discussed him with the 49ers last year. Other discussions undoubtedly occurred since 2022, but it was certainly notable when the Broncos turned down a third-rounder from the 49ers for Sutton. The 6-foot-4 performer then became an integral part of Bo Nix‘s rookie-year emergence, cashing in on incentives during his second 1,000-yard season.

Sutton also has run into a timing problem, which we have outlined previously. His four-year, $60MM extension — agreed to in November 2021, before Sean Payton‘s arrival — appeared in step with the market at that time. But after Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill‘s March 2022 extensions brought a sea change, Sutton’s pact began to look Broncos-friendly. The 2024 WR market boom only made matters worse for a player who is now the NFL’s 25th-highest-paid receiver. Sutton posted a 10-touchdown 2023 season, helping Russell Wilson rebound from a disastrous 2022 slate, and helped Nix finish with the second-most rookie-year TD passes (29) in NFL history.

Not only is Sutton the last WR holdover from the John Elway GM period, none of the Broncos’ other wideouts were around before Payton’s 2023 arrival. Denver is betting on development from some younger players at the position, with 2024 seventh-rounder Devaughn Vele at the front of that line. Before missing minicamp, Vele had turned heads during Broncos OTAs, Renck adds.

An unconventional rookie due to serving a Mormon mission while at Utah, Vele will turn 28 this year. He would make for an unusual extension candidate down the road, but for now, Renck offers that the 6-5 target could be viewed as a post-2025 Sutton replacement if extension talks go south. Vele, who caught 41 passes for 475 yards as a rookie, is signed through 2027. He is not expected to miss any training camp time, Payton said (via the Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel). Vele joins Marvin Mims, Troy Franklin and third-round rookie Pat Bryant as Sutton’s rookie-contract supporting cast.

Sutton reported for Broncos voluntary work this offseason and did say extension talks had yielded progress. The Broncos under GM George Paton have also done plenty of extension business during the summer and into the season. Between mid-June and mid-December last year, the team extended Quinn Meinerz, Patrick Surtain, Jonathon Cooper and Garett Bolles. Allen is interested in an extension, and the team has begun talking to Bonitto about a second contract. A host of post-draft priorities are in place after the team’s first playoff berth in nine years.

Bonitto’s market will come in higher than Sutton’s, while Allen leading all interior D-linemen in QB pressures (47) last season will spike his value as well. Sutton would be in good position to be paid as a 30-year-old free agent in 2026, but cashing in ahead of his age-30 season would help. This will be a summer storyline to monitor for a rejuvenated Broncos team.

Broncos, Nik Bonitto Begin Extension Talks

May 6th, 2025 at 4:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

Nik Bonitto picked a good time to deliver a breakout season. The edge rusher market is amid an offseason surge, after a bit of a lull (Nick Bosa‘s contract excluded) in recent years. More deals topping $40MM per year should emerge once T.J. Watt, Micah Parsons and Aidan Hutchinson are extended. Hutchinson is not a lock to be paid this year, but the Lions dynamo’s trajectory places him as a clear candidate to be paid the new going rate for All-Pro-caliber edge rushers.

Becoming a second-team All-Pro in 2024, Bonitto may not be aiming as high. But it will still cost the Broncos to keep him on a second contract, as the team will seek to do. The former 2022 second-round pick is eyeing a deal at least north of the $20MM-per-year barrier, the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson notes. Bonitto, 25, has said he wants to stay in Denver long term, Tomasson adds. The sides have begun extension talks.

[RELATED: Assessing Bonitto’s Extension Candidacy]

For the Broncos to have Bonitto extension talks start near $20MM AAV would probably be a win for the team, which saw its top edge rusher zoom to a 13.5-sack season that featured defensive touchdowns in back-to-back games. Bonitto, however, displayed difference-making potential in 2023 as well. His 2024 season included only four more QB hits (24) than he racked up in 2023. The Oklahoma product also tallied only three more tackles for loss (16-13) compared to 2023, when he only started four games.

Denver made a key decision about its EDGE future by trading Baron Browning and extending his former Ohio State teammate, Jonathon Cooper, before last year’s deadline. Cooper is signed to a team-friendly accord — four years, $54MM. It will cost far more to extend Bonitto, whose age and early-career production would give him a case to check in much higher than $20MM per year. Another impact season would crystalize that value and likely drive up the price, especially should Watt, Parsons and Hutchinson make $40MM-AAV deals a true salary bracket rather than a Myles Garrett-only zone. Twelve edge rushers are tied to deals worth at least $20MM per year now.

The Broncos carried a top-market OLB salary on their books for five-plus seasons, after having paid Von Miller before the 2016 franchise tag deadline. Denver used the pick the Rams sent over for Miller (No. 64 overall) on Bonitto and then passed on paying Bradley Chubb, trading him in 2022. Thanks to recent salary cap spikes, Bonitto will almost definitely land a higher AAV than Miller’s Broncos or Bills deals produced. When Denver extended Miller at $19.1MM per year nine summers ago, the cap stood at $155.3MM. It is now $279.2MM, creating a landscape in which a $40MM-per-year deal for a top-tier pass rusher can happen. Bonitto can make a case to secure a second-tier EDGE pact.

Bonitto may be the Broncos’ top extension candidate, in terms of earning potential, but the team has both Zach Allen and Courtland Sutton on the re-up radar this year. Sutton talks have begun, while Allen has expressed interest in staying beyond his 2025 contract year. Both players are tied to $15MM-per-year deals, and each has outplayed them. Allen having joined Bonitto as a second-team All-Pro last season offers a complication for the Broncos, who paid Patrick Surtain a then-market-setting rate at cornerback and gave eight-figure AAVs to D.J. Jones, Talanoa Hufanga and Dre Greenlaw in March.

The Broncos were able lock in Surtain at a favorable rate ($24MM) on a deal that runs through 2029, but if they run into a value gap with Bonitto, a 2026 franchise tag would stand to be in play. While Allen and Sutton money will need to be factored in — if/once extensions are hammered out — the team is projected to hold $69MM-plus in cap space next year. It will carry more flexibility in 2026, as the Russell Wilson dead money will be off the books. Bo Nix must stay on a rookie contract through at least the 2026 season. Though, Nix’s progress — re: a potential 2027 payday — will become a factor as the Broncos consider long-term deals this offseason.

Broncos To Table Extension Talks Until After Draft; RB Quinshon Judkins On Team’s Radar

March 29th, 2025 at 10:04am CST by Sam Robinson

Playing central roles in the Broncos’ first playoff berth since their Super Bowl 50 victory, Courtland Sutton, Nik Bonitto and Zach Allen reside as the team’s top extension candidates this offseason. No deals should be expected for a bit, however.

As the draft nears, the team will prioritize its next wave of rookie-scale contracts rather than divert attention to veterans seeking new deals. The Broncos are tabling all extension talks until after the draft, per the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson. While also naming John Franklin-Myers and Malcolm Roach as extension candidates, Tomasson points to the Allen-Bonitto-Sutton trio as key options here. Although extensions regularly take place in March and April, Denver completed four notable deals (with Quinn Meinerz, Patrick Surtain, Jonathon Cooper and Garett Bolles) last year, with none coming before July.

Out of the trade-rumor cycle for the first time in ages, Sutton posted his second 1,000-yard season and helped Bo Nix finish with the second-most touchdown passes (29) by a rookie in NFL history. The team has tabbed 2025 as the window for a Sutton payday, after merely agreeing to an incentive package after the veteran receiver pushed for a deal last year, and is planning talks. Still tied to a contract signed in 2021, Sutton resides as the NFL’s 27th-highest-paid wideout. The John Elway-era draftee is going into an age-30 season and will be prepared to force the extension issue as the season nears.

Allen and Bonitto each surged to the All-Pro tier last season, both landing second-team honors while powering the Broncos’ pass rush. A former J.J. Watt sidekick in Arizona, Allen has played in Vance Joseph‘s defense throughout his six-year career. He broke through with a career year in 2024, leading all interior D-linemen in pressures (47) and finishing second overall. Allen, 27, finished with a career-high 8.5 sacks and a staggering 40 QB hits from his 3-4 D-end position. Signed to a three-year, $45MM deal, the former third-round pick is interested in a second Broncos contract.

That production helped Bonitto’s breakout, and the Broncos saw their 2022 second-rounder raise his value considerably last season. The Oklahoma alum produced 13.5 sacks and two defensive touchdowns, helping swing late-season wins against the Browns and Colts. Denver already extended Jonathon Cooper in 2024, giving him a four-year, $54MM deal just before trading Baron Browning. Bonitto’s price, especially after this offseason has already brought monster EDGE deals to raise that market’s ceiling, will check in much higher on a second contract. The team is naturally interested in paying Bonitto.

As the Broncos’ focus shifts to rookies, the team used a “30” visit on one of this deep running back class’ top names. Former Ohio State and Ole Miss RB Quinshon Judkins is stopping through Denver for a meeting, 9News’ Mike Klis notes. A 2024 teammate of fellow high-end RB prospect TreVeyon Henderson, Judkins cut into the former five-star recruit’s workload with the national champion Buckeyes. The two formed a productive partnership, with Judkins using the transfer portal to finish a dominant college career.

Judkins finished 3-for-3 in 1,000-yard seasons in college. A 1,567-yard rusher as a freshman in 2022, Judkins formed a rare 1,000-1,000 pair with Henderson last season. The Columbus import led the Buckeyes with 1,060 yards (5.5 per tote) and 14 touchdowns last season. While Henderson brings a bit more to the table as a receiver, a trait Sean Payton prioritizes, Judkins produced better college rushing numbers. Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board ranks Henderson 33rd and Judkins 36th among a strong RB class.

With the Broncos losing Javonte Williams in free agency, they are expected to draft a running back. Denver could go with a back early, as the team may be lacking a starter-level runner even as it returns Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime. Holding the Nos. 20 and 51 overall picks to start the draft, Denver is unlikely to see the Ohio State duo available in Round 2 barring a trade-up move.

Broncos Interested In Nik Bonitto Extension

January 15th, 2025 at 2:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

At this time last year, George Paton expressed interest in a Patrick Surtain extension. Although it took several months, the Broncos finalized a contract with their top player. They hammered out a few more extensions in the process, including one for soon-to-be first-team All-Pro Quinn Meinerz.

The Broncos paid their right guard before his true breakthrough; they will not have that advantage with Nik Bonitto, who turned the corner as a pass rusher before becoming extension-eligible. The 2022 second-round pick stormed to a second-team All-Pro honor, registering 13.5 sacks — the Broncos’ most since Von Miller‘s 2018 season — and scoring two defensive touchdowns. As we discussed in December, Bonitto’s extension price spiked after his 2024 performance.

As could be expected, the Broncos are interested in keeping their top edge rusher around beyond his 2025 contract year. Paton confirmed (via the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson) the team wants to keep him around long term, but no talks have begun yet. The Oklahoma product has only been eligible for a new deal for a week. The Broncos will hold exclusive negotiating rights with Bonitto until March 2026.

Bonitto will be an interesting extension candidate, as the Broncos paid their other OLB starter — former seventh-round pick Jonathon Cooper — on a team-friendly deal that checked in at less than $14MM per year. In addition to the Surtain and Meinerz accords, Denver also re-upped left tackle Garett Bolles in what became a busy year for the franchise on the extension front.

The team is not free of the Russell Wilson dead money; $30MM-plus awaits on this year’s payroll, interfering with the advantage gained from Bo Nix‘s rookie contract. But a Bonitto deal would begin its extension years when the Wilson contract is off the books. Nix is tied to rookie terms through at least 2026, giving the Broncos a bit of a window to have another high-end defender payment on their cap sheet.

As for the 2025 offseason, the team is projected to carry more than $52MM in cap space. While the Broncos have some need to address — at the skill positions, linebacker and perhaps a replacement for free agent D-tackle D.J. Jones — the Bonitto matter will be important.

Denver would have a 2026 franchise tag at its disposal if Bonitto talks do not progress to the sides’ liking. Although that would be a pricey cap hold next year, the second-rounder (obtained via the Rams selection in the Miller trade) may have shown himself to be too valuable to lose in free agency. The Broncos will have some time on this front, as the team took care of several extension priorities — save for perhaps Courtland Sutton, who did lobby for a raise last year ahead of a 1,000-yard season, and Zach Allen — in 2024.

Extension Candidate: Nik Bonitto

December 26th, 2024 at 10:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

As the Broncos reconstructed their pass-rushing corps following the Von Miller trade, high-profile veterans Bradley Chubb and Randy Gregory headlined the team’s depth chart. Baron Browning and fellow Ohio State alum-turned-2021 Broncos draftee Jonathon Cooper loomed as rotational pieces as well. The team’s plans changed fairly quickly to start its first post-Miller season.

Denver traded Chubb for a big haul, collecting first- and fourth-round picks from the Dolphins for the 2018 first-rounder. The team, which had dealt two firsts and six more assets to the Seahawks for Russell Wilson, then sent that first to the Saints for Sean Payton‘s rights. Immediately coming in as the lead decision-maker in Denver, Payton bailed on Gregory and has since traded Browning — a 2021 third-rounder. That trade with the Cardinals came days after the Broncos extended Cooper at what looks like a team-friendly rate, considering what the emerging edge defender could have made if he tested the 2025 free agent market.

While Cooper’s four-year, $54MM deal locks the seventh-round success story in through 2028, the Broncos’ other OLB starter has become one of the NFL’s top 2024 breakthroughs. Chosen with the second-round pick obtained from the Rams in the Miller trade, Nik Bonitto has produced a season that will price him well north of the range into which Cooper settled. Eligible for an extension next month, the third-year EDGE will provide an interesting case for a Broncos team that is both building around a rookie-quarterback contract while still paying the penalty for its previous QB mistake.

Coming to Denver as a pass rush specialist deemed a work-in-progress against the run, Bonitto has delivered the Broncos’ first double-digit sack season since Miller and Chubb both did so in 2018. The Broncos kept seeing injuries derail further efforts to deploy Miller and Chubb together, but thus far, Bonitto and Cooper have been catalysts for the team’s defensive turnaround. With Cooper locked in, the focus will shift to Bonitto, whose rookie contract runs through next season.

Bonitto’s 11.5 sacks are tied for fourth in the NFL; the Oklahoma alum’s 20 QB hits match his full-season total from 2023. Bonitto’s 32 pressures are tied for 11th leaguewide. The improved defender also has memorably produced two defensive touchdowns, recording a pick-six against the Browns and then snatching a backward pass — on a slow-developing Colts trick play — and adding a second score. While Bovada gives Patrick Surtain the only realistic chance to overtake T.J. Watt as Defensive Player of the Year, Bonitto sits third among the odds for this award.

For a Broncos team that made three of this century’s worst personnel decisions (hiring Nathaniel Hackett as HC, trading for Wilson and then extending him), Bonitto has provided a vital spark — particularly with regards to GM George Paton‘s job status. Continuing to fight off rumors he might be jettisoned, Paton has given the now-Payton-led team integral pieces via the draft. Bo Nix obviously headlines the Broncos’ roster right now, but Surtain, Bonitto, Cooper and Quinn Meinerz have been important pieces to the team turning its operation around despite carrying a staggering $90.1MM in dead money.

Paton has extended Surtain, Meinerz, Cooper and John Elway-era draftee Garett Bolles this year. Bonitto’s 2024 season may be good enough that the Broncos cannot realistically entertain not paying him by 2026. The franchise tag could come into play for the former No. 64 overall pick at that point, as Bonitto’s value has climbed to an interesting place. But the Broncos would be wise to engage in earlier extension talks with their top pass rusher.

Cooper’s deal only made him the league’s 22nd-highest-paid edge rusher. It would seem unrealistic the Broncos could present Bonitto an offer outside the top 10 in that market. Anything beyond the top five ($25MM AAV and up) may also be a stretch, as both Brian Burns and Josh Hines-Allen each reached $28MM per year on their 2024 extensions. Those pacts rank second and third among edge players, and the market will change soon.

Fireworks are also likely coming in this market next year, with the likes of Watt, Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons and Trey Hendrickson entering contract years. Bonitto would be wise to wait to see what the market looks like late next summer, while the Broncos would be better off making an early move — as they did with Surtain this summer — and paying their ascending OLB before the top of the market changes.

The team took on the bulk of the Wilson dead money this year, carrying $53MM in dead cap on its payroll, but $30MM-plus is due to hit next year. That undercuts a Broncos effort to capitalize on Nix’s rookie deal. The Broncos’ 2026 cap sheet will look a bit better, with Nix still on rookie terms and Wilson’s contract removed from the equation, but a Bonitto extension — assuming Nix’s upward trajectory continues — would stand to overlap with a monster QB extension by the late 2020s. That would be a good problem for a Broncos team that whiffed many times trying to replace Peyton Manning, however.

Surtain and four of the team’s five offensive line starters are all now signed through at least 2026. Courtland Sutton and D-lineman Zach Allen‘s contracts go through 2025. Like Nix and this contingent, Bonitto has established himself as a core performer. When his extension talks start will be a key Broncos storyline to monitor during the upcoming offseason.

Broncos TE Greg Dulcich Back At Practice

December 13th, 2023 at 3:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

Battling chronic hamstring trouble over his first two NFL seasons, Greg Dulcich has landed on IR four times due to this particular issue. While this has happened twice in 2023, the Broncos have not given up on the pass-catching tight end contributing this season.

Dulcich is back at Broncos practice Wednesday; the team designated the second-year tight end to return from IR, per the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson. Dulcich has been out since aggravating his hamstring injury in Week 6. The UCLA product initially suffered the injury in Week 1. Teams can activate a player from IR twice in one season, but both moves go toward the team’s activation total. The Broncos have five IR activations left.

While the Broncos have turned their season around by winning six out of their past seven games, they have not received much production from their tight end position. Adam Trautman‘s precise placement on a touchdown against the Browns notwithstanding, no Denver tight end has surpassed 150 receiving yards this year. In just 10 games last year, Dulcich posted 411.

The Broncos placed Dulcich on IR twice as a rookie, stashing him on the injured list to start his career and moving him back to close the season. While Dulcich stood out on a broken offense in between, his hamstring issues followed him to Year 2. The UCLA product hit IR after Week 1, and after only 11 snaps against the Chiefs in Week 6, he needed to be shut down once again. Dulcich has already missed 17 games through two seasons.

During the Broncos’ first draft after trading a bounty for Russell Wilson, they selected Dulcich with their second pick. Last year’s No. 80 overall choice scored twice and averaged 12.5 yards per catch in 2022, but injuries have obviously marred his career. With Sean Payton having not been in Denver when the team chose Dulcich, the young pass catcher is not off to a good start with the new HC. Payton traded for ex-Saint Trautman during the draft.

Trautman is playing on an expiring contract, and Dulcich has spent much his NFL time rehabbing. These circumstances will likely lead the Broncos making a notable investment in a tight end during Payton’s second offseason in charge. But Dulcich staying healthy to close this season would help his cause. The Broncos have three weeks from today to activate the 6-foot-4 talent.

Beyond Dulcich and safety Caden Sterns, the Broncos have gone through the season healthier than in recent years. The team did lose one of its top edge rushers against the Chargers, but Payton noted Wednesday (via Denver7’s Troy Renck) Nik Bonitto is not a candidate to land on IR. The 2022 second-round pick suffered a knee injury in Week 14.

How Will Broncos Proceed With Crowded OLB Corps?

June 8th, 2022 at 3:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

Visions of a long-term Von Miller–Bradley Chubb edge partnership mostly proved fleeting for the Broncos, who saw injuries sideline at least one member of this tandem for most of its three-plus-season tenure. The 2018 season, when Miller and his then-rookie sidekick combined for 26.5 sacks, turned into a mirage.

The Broncos’ 2022 contingent of edge rushers presents intrigue, even if it is the first in 12 years not to include the best pass rusher in franchise history. Denver’s Miller trade allowed the team to finish stockpiling its cast of pass rushers, bringing second- and third-round 2022 picks, but with only Randy Gregory locked in as a long-term starter (and given Gregory’s history, that classification might be premature), how the team proceeds with this crew will be interesting ahead of what promises to be a high-profile division race.

Gregory signed a five-year, $70MM deal in March, backing out of a Cowboys agreement at the last minute due to contract language. Suspended four times as a pro, Gregory showed considerable promise during his final Dallas season. If that form is a true indicator of the former second-rounder’s form, the Broncos having him signed to a $14MM-per-year deal will age well as the salary cap’s rise has pushed edge rusher salaries toward the $30MM-AAV mark. Gregory, whose drug suspensions could give him a “young 29” presence, carries boom-or-bust potential. From a roster-building standpoint, more questions surround his supporting cast.

Chubb made the Pro Bowl in 2020, despite accumulating just 7.5 sacks and one forced fumble, and racked up 12 sacks as a rookie. But the two ankle surgeries he underwent last year brought limitations and questions about his future in Denver. (Chubb also sustained an ACL tear in 2019.) George Paton identified the former top-five pick as a core player, and while those comments came before the ankle trouble limited Chubb to seven games in a zero-sack season, the second-year GM expressed Chubb confidence again this year. Paton did extend 2018 second-round pick Courtland Sutton, whom he also called a core talent last year, after an ACL tear. Chubb, 26 later this month, will enter a high-stakes contract year, with Paton reorganizing the team’s edge-rushing stable after the February vote of confidence.

An extension path may still exist for Chubb. Gregory’s AAV checks in just 22nd among edge defenders, and the Chargers and Raiders each have two edges earning north of $17MM per year. But that prospect is murkier than it was last year at this time. Had Chubb not been a first-round pick, he may already be signed to a lucrative deal. The fifth-year option allowed the Broncos to wait, and the team will have cheaper options to flank Gregory beyond 2022 — when Russell Wilson will be playing on a top-market contract.

Denver rosters Malik Reed, a former UDFA who has seen extensive run (34 starts) due to Chubb and Miller’s injuries, and used its top draft choice on Oklahoma edge Nik Bonitto (64th overall). The team also has ex-Ohio State teammates Jonathon Cooper and Baron Browning. Cooper fell to Round 7 because of a heart issue (one that did not keep him out of games last season) and flashed a bit after the Miller trade. The Broncos curiously moved Browning from inside linebacker — where they are much thinner. A 2021 third-rounder, Browning started nine games inside as a rookie.

It will be difficult for the team to roster all six, and its recent penchant for UDFA edge success (Reed, Shaq Barrett) creates a path for Christopher Allen, a 2020 Alabama contributor who missed last season due to a foot injury. The Broncos gave Allen $180K to sign after the draft.

Also in a contract year, Reed has registered 13 sacks over the past two seasons. Though lesser-known than Chubb, Reed profiles as an extension candidate himself. The Broncos would probably stand to save by extending Reed over Chubb, who also looms as a 2023 franchise tag option. Chubb staying healthy this season could create a clear value gap between the two. Denver also has defensive end starter Dre’Mont Jones going into a walk year, creating an unsettled post-2022 mix beyond Gregory and Bonitto.

With Paton-era OLB investments behind Reed, would the Broncos consider trading the frequent fill-in starter ahead of his contract year? They only gave Reed the low-end RFA tender ($2.4MM) in March. That price and Reed’s recent production could be attractive for teams with thinner edge cadres. Chubb is tied to a $12.7MM option salary. A mix of Gregory, Chubb and Reed would limit Bonitto’s rookie-year time. But injuries could obviously change that.

The Broncos faced a surplus situation at cornerback last year but refrained from dealing into it, despite teams showing interest. Chubb’s injury history could prompt Denver to carry an extra outside linebacker on its 53-man roster. Browning’s ability to play on the inside would seemingly represent insurance for an iffy group of inside ‘backers as well. But carrying six edges is on the high end for 3-4 teams.

However the Broncos decide to proceed here, their moving parts on the edge should be a situation to monitor as the revitalized team attempts to compete against high-powered offenses. How that effort goes, particularly from the John Elway-era holdover rushers, will determine how the franchise chooses to complement Gregory beyond 2022.

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