Denver Broncos Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has played a huge part in the team’s success throughout the 2024 season. One of the most influential players on Denver’s third-ranked defense is third-year rush linebacker Nik Bonitto – the Broncos’ first double-digit sack artist since Von Miller and Bradley Chubb in 2018.

On Friday, Joseph praised Bonitto’s development in all aspects as a full-back.

“Obviously Nik was drafted as a pash rusher,” Joseph said. “He was a great pash rusher in college and still is now.” He’s playing well. His improvement really came from the running game. The more you can play, the more chance you have of being able to hustle.

Bonitto, who came out of Oklahoma in the 2022 draft, was considered a pass rush specialist with great speed and explosiveness at the rim, but needed to improve his run defense. While he’s not perfect, he’s proven to be much more capable of stopping the run so far, making him a more complete edge rusher to keep him on the field.

“If you’re just a DPR (defensive pass rusher) — just a rusher — we can’t play you all the way,” Joseph said. “As Nik improves, he has gotten stronger in the running game. He plays the run very well. and that’s pass rushing.”

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The team was so impressed with Bonitto’s huge improvements that it felt comfortable trading fellow pass rusher Baron Browning so he could see more snaps as a starter. Since rejoining the team in 2023, Joseph has experienced a lot of growth at Bonitto.

“Obviously we saw the special ability again during the draft process,” Joseph said. “In a 3-4 defense, you’re always chasing pass rushers. This kid was a natural in college. When he came here his first year, you could see the traits. Again, he didn’t play all the time because he wasn’t a great run defender. Because he is a run defender and gets stronger at the edge, he can rush more.

Joseph also touched on how having great complementary players in the front seven has created some great one-on-one opportunities for Bonitto with fellow rush linebacker Jonathon Cooper and inside rusher Zach Allen attract the attention of opponents.

“Obviously he’s going to win his share with multiple rushes. Having leads, having longer third downs – things like that – having ‘Coop’ by your side, having Zach in the middle, those are really a lot of things that allow him to do that.” Once he does that, he’ll win his share .”

Bonitto’s natural ability as a pass rusher caught the Broncos’ attention and he worked out his deficiencies in the ground game to become unquestionable as a starter. He is a crucial part of Denver’s defensive dominance and has a shot at the sack title with five games left, as he currently ranks third in the NFL with 10 quarterback takedowns.

Bonitto is in line for a sizable payday if he continues on his current path, and Denver would be wise to pay up sooner rather than later.

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