Nik Bonitto Complains About Teammate’s Ranking via a Two-Word Reaction

After a breakout season, the Denver Broncos cannot afford to lose edge rusher Nik Bonitto. While the Broncos had a league-leading 63 sacks last season, he accounted for 21.42 percent (13.5) of those.

However, as he prepares for another season with the team that selected him in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft, he’s paying attention to the recognition his teammates are receiving, or the lack thereof. Bonitto commented via his X/Twitter account that defensive lineman Zach Allen ranking 90^th among the league’s Top 100 Players of 2025 is “too low.”

The initial typographical error caught the eye of Broncos wide receiver/return specialist Marvin Mims Jr., who reacted, “I had a feeling you were the type to skip class in college.” To which Nik Bonitto replied, “chill.”

Last season, Allen finished third among Broncos defensive players in sacks with 8.5. He was second in tackles for losses, one behind Bonitto’s 16, while his 61 total tackles led all of Denver’s defensive linemen.

However, what’s most impressive about Allen is that he played 964 snaps in 16 games, the most by a defensive lineman. The Dallas Cowboys’ Osa Odighizuwa came in a distant second with 859 snaps in 17 games. Out of Allen’s total, he played a league-leading 639 pass rush snaps. Likewise, his durability earned him a 63.7 overall grade and a 72 pass rush grade from Pro Football Focus.

Speaking of PFF, Nik Bonitto is a staunch fan of his teammate after expressing his dissent on the Top 10 Interior Defensive Linemen list released by the analytics website last June. Allen reposted Bonitto’s reaction of six rolling on the floor laughing and the words “not serious” to support the edge rusher’s sentiments.

Denver’s Altitude Matters for Zach Allen

Former NFL defensive end Chris Long mentioned Zach Allen’s snap count when the latter appeared on Long’s podcast last May. In addition to showering Allen with respect, Long asked if Denver’s altitude gave the team an advantage.

“I think definitely the altitude. We notice that when we play at sea level, you could go for days. Other teams, I’d probably say third or fourth quarter they run out of gas. I think it’s after that 24-hour mark when it starts to kick in. When we do the joint practices, first day is competitive, second and third day we are rocking,” Allen replied.

According to TheFactFile.org, Colorado tops all states with a mean elevation of 6,800 feet above sea level. Denver sits 5,280 feet above sea level, while the state’s lowest level is at 3,317 feet, located at the Arikaree River near the Colorado-Kansas border.

Nik Bonitto Hosts First Denver Youth Camp

Though his contract extension talks are ongoing, Nik Bonitto didn’t see it as a hindrance to give back to the community that supported him since he arrived in 2022. Hence, he hosted his first youth camp to spend time with the next generation of football players.

He said in a video shared on the Broncos’ account on X, Bonitto said, “Just being able to be out here. Just give back to the community, let the kids have a good day. It kind of takes me back to when I was a kid, just going into the youth camps and being with my friends, being able to play football with them. I want to see the kids smile and just give them any type of knowledge that I can and give them hope that one day there’s a possibility that you can get to such a high level.”