Sean Payton provides positive update on Nik Bonitto’s foot injury

Broncos Country held its breath when Nik Bonitto was slightly gimpy leaving the field on Saturday after he made a play against the San Francisco 49ers.

After the star pass rusher missed three consecutive days of practice following that moment, the level of concern rose, as it wasn’t clear exactly what Bonitto was dealing with nor the severity of the injury. However, Broncos head coach Sean Payton didn’t have any concerns. After Thursday’s practice, he provided an update on the status of the 25-year-old.

“He had a little spur on the top of his foot … His is something that we just had done, and we knew that he was going to miss this week. He’ll be up and at it next week. So, he’s been fantastic … The days he’s missed has been this simple bone spur in a unique spot on the top of the foot. It’s not weight bearing. He went ahead and had it done, I think three stitches. The goal would be to have him back at practice next week, getting some work against New Orleans,” Payton said Thursday.

Payton said that he just dealt with the same problem, as he had two spurs removed on his big toe, and that process “hurt like a you know what.”

As defined by Mayo Clinic, “Bone spurs are bony growths that form along bone edges … Bone spurs often form where bones meet each other — in the joints. They also can form on the bones of the spine. The main cause of bone spurs is the joint damage linked with the most common type of arthritis … Bone spurs might not need treatment. If treatment is needed, it depends on where spurs are located and how they affect your health.”

Not something that is too serious, but enough to cause pain if located in the wrong spot — especially for someone who puts as much stress on their feet as Bonitto.

Payton also emphasized that Bonitto missing practice had nothing to do with a contract situation, as he is next on the list of Broncos players who deserve a new contract. He’s entering the final year of his rookie deal. He also said that Bonitto was going to try and play through it, but the decision to have it removed and miss a short amount of time upfront was the best route to take.

“It was something he noticed last week … He’s got really good edge power, and he’s got bend and these deposits kind of grow where there’s pressure … I think initially he was like, ‘Well, will it be just a day or two,’ and I think the feeling with our foot and ankle specialist was like, this isn’t something that you locally shoot. He said, ‘Nick, this is so easy to remove and then not have to deal with it on Monday every other week.’ What’s the downside? You know, when you say three and a half four days, maybe it’s five days, it just made a lot of sense,” Payton said.

In Saturday’s contest, Bonitto finished with two QB hits and a sack. With a potential new contract on the line, Bonitto made sure to show the Broncos’ brass early on that his breakout season in 2024 wasn’t just a one-off fluke, it was the real deal. He was also ranked at No. 38 on the NFL’s top 100 list on Tuesday after not being ranked in 2024, a sign that he has the respect of the rest of the league and everyone else knows what he’s fully capable of. The Broncos have one of the league’s brightest, young pass rushers, and Payton knows they have to do everything they can to protect his health as much as they can.

This update is a huge sigh of relief for Broncos Country, as this is not an issue that should impact their star pass rusher long term.

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