The Denver Broncos needed to address their pass rush this offseason at some point because it is one of their biggest needs on defense. Despite having three promising EDGE rushers in Jonathon Cooper, Nik Bonitto, and Baron Browning, their pass rush was inconsistent last season, ranking 22nd in sacks and 30th in pass rush win rate.
Ross Allen of MileHighReport.com argues their pass rush hasn’t been dominant since DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller.
“It has been a while since the Broncos boasted a consistent and lethal pass rush. It’s really been since the days of DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller that Denver had a threatening rusher on either side of the ball. They have the opportunity to fix that this year.
“While Nik Bonitto, Baron Browning, and Jonathon Cooper are impressive in flashes, they have yet to string together consistent play. Cooper was Denver’s leading sacker last season and he was only tied for 33rd most in the league with 8.5 sacks. Bonitto had eight and Browning only had 4.5 in the 10 games he played.”
The Broncos drafted an EDGE rusher in the 3rd round.
The Denver Broncos drafted an EDGE rusher in the 3rd round.
The Broncos drafted Jonah Elliss in the 3rd round, 76th overall of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Elliss signed his rookie contract.
Jonah Elliss signed his rookie contract.
According to Mike Klis of 9news, Elliss signed a 4-year rookie contract worth $5.87 million with a $1.09 million signing bonus.
He spent the last three seasons in Utah.
Jonah Elliss spent three seasons with the Utah Utes.
Elliss committed to the Utes as a three-start recruit for the 2021 season. He had a solid career with the team, playing in 35 games and starting 18. He had 78 tackles, 23 TFLs, 16 sacks, three pass deflections, and three forced fumbles.
Elliss played ten games, starting ten in 2023, recording 37 tackles, 16 TFLs, 12 sacks, three pass deflections, one forced fumble, and an 85.3 PFF Grade before a torn labrum ended his season prematurely. He also had a 90.1 pass-rush grade, a 68.7 run-stop grade, a 17.7% pass-rush win rate, and a 5.7% run-stop win rate per PFF. The Associated Press named him to their All-American Second Team, and the Pac 12 named him to their All-Pac 12 First Team.
Lance Zierlein did a scouting report on Jonah Elliss.
Lance Zierlein of NFL Network did a scouting report on Elliss.
“Elliss comes from a family filled with football players both past and present. He lacks ideal size and athleticism on the edge but the same could be said about his brother, Kaden, when he was a prospect, and he’s now a highly productive NFL linebacker.
“Jonah plays with a motor that exposes blockers who aren’t finishers. He doesn’t have enough sand in his pants to anchor and hold an NFL edge in the run game but he assaults the pocket with varied approaches and a good inside spin counter. He needs more muscle but could become a rotational 3-4 rush linebacker with above-average special teams qualities.”
