The Denver Broncos Have the Most Underrated Pass Rusher In the NFL
The Denver Broncos have been through a lot over the last decade, but George Paton has made crucial decisions to save the franchise. After trading for Russell Wilson, the Broncos were short on draft capital and needed to hit on their late-round draft picks. In 2022, he did just that, drafting OLB Nik Bonitto out of Oklahoma with the 64th overall pick.
Broncos Have a Star
When they drafted Bonitto, he was very far down the depth chart. The Broncos already had Bradley Chubb, Randy Gregory, Malik Reed, and Jonathan Cooper. Bonitto wasn’t going to see much time on the field during his rookie season, but he was able to get more playing time in 2023. Denver traded Bradley Chubb to the Miami Dolphins for Sean Payton and released Randy Gregory due to many issues on and off the field.
Bonitto was thrown into the fire and had to step up on what was an already weak defensive line. In his second season, Bonitto had eight sacks, taking a huge step forward, and became an immediate starter the following season. In his first full season as a starter, Bonitto had 13.5 sacks, emerging as a young star alongside Zach Allen and Jonathan Cooper on the defensive line. The pick of Bonitto looked even better for George Paton, as he took one of the best edge rushers in the entire draft in the second round, with limited room to work with.
Bonitto Is Extremely Underrated
When talking about the best edge rushers in the NFL, many point to T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett, and Maxx Crosby. A name that needs to be mentioned more is Bonitto. Through five games, Bonitto has 7 sacks, which leads the NFL. He is currently on pace to set an NFL record, with 24 sacks in a single season. The current record is held by T.J. Watt and Michael Strahan, who both had 22.5 sacks.
Not only is he racking up sacks, but he is putting an immense amount of pressure on opposing quarterbacks. According to Adam Levitan, Nik Bonitto leads the NFL in quarterback pressure, with 31. In quarterback pressure rate, Bonitto’s (28.4%) is higher than Micah Parsons’ (22.4%), Aidan Hutchinson’s (18.2%), and Myles Garrett’s (16.2%).
Bonitto’s style of play is truly unstoppable, and reminds me of Von Miller. His ability to time the center and jump the line of scrimmage is truly unmatched, and no other edge rusher can do it like him. Against the Eagles, the Broncos’ star had 2.5 sacks, along with 5 pressures.
George Paton Paid Him Early!
One of the main priorities heading into the offseason was paying his young players on defense and getting ahead of the market. He was able to extend Bonitto on a four-year, $120 million deal with $70 million guaranteed. Right now, his contract makes him the 10th-highest-paid Edge Rusher in the NFL, which is an absolute steal.
If Paton had waited any longer to pay him, his price would’ve skyrocketed. Over the next two seasons, the Broncos will pay him just over $13 million, with his extension starting in 2027. This move allows them to allocate money to other areas of the team, and capitalize on what Head Coach Sean Payton calls “A Super Bowl window.”
The Broncos could join a list of a few teams that have had two different players to win Defensive Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons. If Bonitto can win it, he would be the second Bronco to win the award since Patrick Surtain did it last season. The only teams to do so are the 1974-1976 Pittsburgh Steelers, 1995-96 Buffalo Bills, and the 2003-04 Baltimore Ravens.
Mark Madden: Penguins mix old, new in sharing-the-torch season opener
Some strange things happened Tuesday night when the Penguins opened their season at Madison Square Garden with a 3-0 win against the New York Rangers.
For example, Erik Karlsson played a responsible, mistake-free game. (Except for one gratuitous turnover.) That’s been a rarity during his Penguins tenure, now entering its third campaign.
That performance will likely be the exception to the rule. But something happens to veterans when a lot of kids invade the dressing room.
Kids can bring out a teacher instinct in veterans. A right-way vibe.
New coach Dan Muse knows that. He put out a signpost when he didn’t merely start his first line and top defense pair.
He mixed and matched. It was part old firm, part new guys.
It was Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang along with Harrison Brunicke, 19, and Ben Kindel, 18.
That said something: We’re not passing the torch, we’re sharing it.
Starting Arturs Silovs in goal instead of Tristan Jarry said something, too. Muse seems to be trying to wipe away what’s stale as quickly as he can.
It didn’t hurt that Silovs pitched a shutout, though the Penguins’ defensive effort made certain he was rarely under siege on the way to 25 saves.
Will Silovs start again Thursday in the home opener vs. the New York Islanders? That, too, would make a statement.
It’s good that the Penguins won, even though the priority remains getting a top-five pick in next year’s draft, not squeaking into a one-and-done playoff appearance.
You don’t want the season’s buzz to disappear right away.
You don’t want poor home attendance right off the bat. (I’m curious about the size of Thursday’s crowd at PPG Paints Arena.)
You don’t want the team’s newfound youthful energy to be suppressed. If the Penguins are even near .500 through October and November, that energy should sustain itself all season.
Karlsson’s performance at New York was interesting.
Malkin getting two assists playing between two 6-foot-5 wingers was a different look. Maybe that’s the way to go as age slows Malkin, 39. Malkin twisting forward with the puck through an offensive-zone faceoff to set up Justin Brazeau’s winning goal was beautiful.
Kindel played an amazingly solid game.
Brunicke wasn’t great initially but played a strong second and third period.
The Penguins minimized mistakes. Badger Bob Johnson used to preach the value of fundamentals, and those were on display at New York.
These Penguins have lots of subplots and sidebars.
Let’s not leave Crosby out of the discussion.
Crosby had zero points. But over 200 feet, he was the best player on the ice. He was a buzzsaw down low and in the dirty areas. He was visibly and extremely happy after. Crosby just wants to win.
Those opportunities won’t be as frequent as he likes. It’s good to see the captain savor the flavor.
