Nik Bonitto’s pass rushing prowess has him poised for another impactful season

The Denver Broncos put together a franchise best 63 sacks in 2024. Their pass rush was the most ferocious in the National Football League. Also, one of the primary reasons the franchise found its way back into the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph and his players deserve praise for their efforts. All the key players that made last year’s defensive front seven incredible are slated to return. Not only that, but the Broncos added a few more players in the draft to help as well. With that in mind, their penchant for getting after the quarterback should continue this coming season.

Entering his fourth year, outside linebacker Nik Bonitto will be a factor in that. Bonitto is coming off an incredible 2024 season which helped ignite the team’s high-level of play defensively. He notched 13.5 sacks and a handful of game-changing plays that earned him Pro-Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors. Overall, Bonitto was third in the NFL in sacks and tied for fifth in tackles for loss and quarterback hits.

He was undoubtedly one of the team’s most improved players after a breakout ‘24 campaign. Few questions surround his ability to make an impact on the field; the biggest comes down to whether or not the Broncos choose to extend him—and if so—at what cost? Let’s take a deeper dive into what to expect from the standout pass rusher in 2025.

Player Profile

Age: 25 | Experience: Fourth | College: Oklahoma | Height: 6’3” | Weight: 240 pounds

Arm Length: 32-1/2” | Hand Size: 9-3/8” | Broad: 10’ | Vertical: 35.5” | Bench: N/A

40-yard dash: 4.54 seconds | 3-Cone: 7.07 seconds | 20-Yard Shuttle: 4.23 seconds

Nik Bonitto’s 2025 outlook with the Broncos

The former Oklahoma Sooners standout has demonstrated steady improvement each year of his career to date. It’s safe to say General Manager George Paton hit an absolute home run selecting him with the 64th pick at the end of the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Bonitto’s prowess rushing the passer is undeniable. Without question, it is his number one calling card. His ability in that regard is dynamic and one of the most potent in the NFL. The athleticism he possesses can’t be taught and his burst off the snap is top-notch. The aforementioned routinely gives him the upper hand in one-on-one matchups against tackles who struggle with speed off the edge. Those are rare abilities.

However, I’m hoping to see improvement in setting the edge and better overall performance against the run in ‘25. Those are areas I think he needs to work on in order to become an overall elite defender. Though give his frame and lack of length, it might never be a huge strength of his. Though if he can take that next step, he will cement himself has one of the game’s most feared defensive players.

As an aside, I thought I’d offer this point up for discussion. A few weeks ago, Head Coach Sean Payton mentioned the team needed to monitor his snap count share. In 2024, he played 708 total defensive snaps, 61-percent of the team’s overall total. That’s at least ten percentage points below the average for some of the game’s best edge rushers and highest paid players at the position.

There’s no doubting his effectiveness in the snap share he has now. However, I’d like to see how his production or efficiency fares with a higher workload. Joseph is known for rotating his edge defenders and the Broncos have quality depth at the position, so this is something I’ll be monitoring throughout the season.

Final Thoughts

It’s hard to doubt the idea that Bonitto is poised for another impact season. What reason could there possibly be to argue against it? It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if he does even better in ‘25.

With a contract likely exceeding $100 million in total value with an average annual value of $25 million on the horizon, he will certainly have a lot to play for. While there are facets of his game that need work, the NFL places a premium on premier pass rushers and that’s precisely what Bonitto is.

I’m optimistic the Broncos will come to terms with the fourth-year pro before the start of the season. Though he is just one of several veterans with expiring contracts that are hoping for same. Zach Allen, Courtland Sutton, and John Franklin-Myers are all looking for a pay raise as well.

Nevertheless, the Broncos have the ultimate team-building luxury with Bo Nix on a rookie contract for the next several seasons and ample cap space in future years. That gives them a window to be able to reward their homegrown players who have performed well. Bonitto has outperformed his draft slot tremendously and is deserving of a big-time contract.