Could Broncos find an edge-rushing alpha in Nik Bonitto?

For the Denver Broncos edge rushers, there are two paths to collective improvement.

One involves finding an alpha among their collective, a group led by Jonathon Cooper, Nik Bonitto and Baron Browning.

The other involves success in the aggregate, coming at opponents in waves and taking advantage of the fact that their No. 3 and 4 edge rushers — whoever they turn out to be — are superior to comparable rotation components with the rest of the league.

In that case, the Broncos’ collection of pass rushers might be akin to a baseball rotation that lacks a true ace — but has a No. 3 starter who is the equivalent of a No. 2, a No. 4 who is on the level of a typical No. 3.

They might not have Von Miller — or even rookie-vintage Bradley Chubb — in their midst. But they could have enough to be successful.

Still, not having a single player with at least 10 sacks is far from ideal. The Broncos are one of just three teams in the NFL without a double-digit sacker since 2019; Atlanta and Seattle are the others. This comes after Denver pass rushers had 11 separate performances with at least 10 sacks in a single season from 2011-18. Miller had seven of them, but Chubb, DeMarcus Ware, Shaun Phillips and Elvis Dumervil also contributed.

The Broncos have never gone this long without a player having at least 10 sacks in a season since the QB sack became an official statistic in 1982.

Who might break the streak?

THE BRONCOS HAVE A BIG THREE …

… but plenty of questions abound, especially after the Broncos ranked 30th in pass-rush win rate last year, per ESPN Analytics. Nevertheless, defensive coordinator Vance Joseph is optimistic about what he possesses.

“I think as a group, it’s a good group between ‘Coop’ and Nik and Baron,” Joseph said. They all can rush the passer; they all are good run-game players.

“… It’s a good room, it’s an experienced room. It’s a room that should make some hay this year for us.”

Browning’s talent has long been obvious, but injuries have kept him from displaying it on a consistent basis. His return to the lineup last year in October coincided with the Broncos starting a 5-game winning streak; he notched 3 sacks and 5 QB hits in those games, with a pair of those sacks coming at the expense of Patrick Mahomes in the Broncos’ streak-snapping win over Kansas City.

Perhaps most crucially, Browning has Sean Payton’s ear.

“He and I have five conversations a day, and I don’t know if we had five the first half of last season because you’re trying to get to know everyone. But he’s much further along. There is a confidence about him,” Payton said during OTAs. “He reminds me a little of an Ohio State player [New Orleans] had, Will Smith. And I’m not saying that necessarily [because] they played the same position. His personality reminds me a lot of Will, the late Will Smith.”

Browning’s former Ohio State teammate and fellow 2021 draftee, Cooper, actually led the Broncos with 8.5 sacks last year. Unlike Browning, for whom injuries have been an unfortunate part of his career to date, Cooper has missed just 4 games in three seasons.

And then there is Bonitto, the 2022 second-round pick whose struggles against the run are well-documented, but who was also the Broncos’ most efficient pass rusher off the edge. He underscored that with some dominant bursts during OTAs, using his speed to consistently crash the pocket.

“Nik is a special rusher. He had a great year last year,” Joseph said of Bonitto’s 8-sack campaign. “Even with missed time, he had a pretty good year. So obviously, he’s a natural rusher and it’s my job to find spots for him to kind of showcase that.”

And then there is Joseph’s scheme itself — which is simplified from last year, with the same nomenclature. For the first time in their four pro seasons, Cooper and Browning won’t have to spend their offseasons learning new concepts.

“I think that’s huge,” Browning said during minicamp “It definitely goes to having a lot of confidence and learning how to play off one another and learning certain calls.”

FIGHTING FOR ROSTER SPOTS — AND TO MAKE NAMES FOR THEMSELVES

Third-round pick Jonah Elliss has a roster spot virtually assured, given his draft status. And during OTAs, he did show some playmaking potential, while also demonstrating some of the array of moves at his disposal.

“I like double-swipe, spin and speed-to-bull,” Elliss said during rookie minicamp. “Those are probably my three favorites.”

The spin move, Elliss said, came from his father, former Broncos defensive lineman Luther Elliss, who now coaches at Utah, where the younger Elliss stood out. Last year, Jonah Elliss exploded during a 4-game burst of Pac-12 play, notching 8 sacks and 11 tackles for losses in games against UCLA, Oregon State, Cal and USC.

Jonah Elliss talks about his three pass-rush moves: "I like double swipe, spin, and speed-to-bull (rush)," he said.

Elliss said he first learned the spin move from his father, former Broncos D-lineman and team chaplain Luther Elliss, now an assistant coach at @Utah_Football. pic.twitter.com/E4MdnNvuNR

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) May 14, 2024

One of the players under the most pressure this summer will be Thomas Incoom, who stuck on the 53-player roster of the Broncos last year as an undrafted rookie, but played sparingly — just 20 snaps over four games during the season.

The cycle moves quickly, and with Memphis edge rusher Jaylon Allen, returning rotational edge rusher Ronnie Perkins and Dondrea Tillman in the mix, Incoom will need to show progress and special-teams capability in order to end up sticking on the 53-player roster for a second-straight season.

The speed of the churn could also leave Drew Sanders out of the mix depending on how other players develop. He is expected to start training camp on the physically-unable-to-perform list after tearing his Achilles during early-offseason work, and his projected timeline should keep him on PUP into the regular season before the Broncos must make a decision as to his return.

Realistically, it would be a shock if Sanders is ready to contribute before November. But when he returns, he’s expected to land on the edge after moving between inside and outside linebacker in a frustrating rookie season.