Nik Bonitto says fellow edge rusher Jonathon Cooper deserves a bigger spotlight

Nik Bonitto has established himself as one of the best pass rushers in the NFL over the past year, and has been the top dog on the best pass-rushing unit in the league. The presence of guys like Jonathon Cooper and Zach Allen alongside Bonitto have helped him wreak havoc upon opposing quarterbacks.

While the spotlight is on Bonitto, he was asked about who he thinks deserves a bigger spotlight during an appearance on the “NFL Spotlight with Ari Meirov” show recently.

“Definitely Jonathon Cooper. To me, he’s the most underrated guy regardless of position in the league. I mean, just, you know him being able to probably, I think, in my opinion, [he’s] one of the best run defenders in the league at the edge position and the way he can also get after the rush of the passer too and be such a force there,” Bonitto said.

THE NFL’S MOST DYNAMIC DUO

The duo of Bonitto and Cooper has been lethal for the Broncos in recent years. In the three seasons and one week the two have played alongside each other (Cooper’s rookie year in Denver was 2021, but Bonitto was still in college), they’ve combined for 46.5 sacks, highlighted by a 24-sack campaign last year that put the league on notice. With Cooper only being 27 years old and Bonitto only being 25, and both being signed to long-term extensions in Denver, the potential for the combo is unlimited.

The 24 sacks as a duo was the highest mark in the league in 2024.

Last year, Bonitto was the one who was in the Defensive Player of the Year running. He was scoring the touchdowns. He was the one who was voted as a Second-Team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler. Even though Cooper was playing his heart out just as much as Bonitto, he wasn’t getting the same attention that his partner in crime was.

Now, the 25-year-old wants that script flipped in 2025.

“I definitely feel like he’s one of the more underrated guys and definitely deserves the spotlight, for sure,” Bonitto said of Cooper.

IMPACT OF THE OTHER GUYS

The Broncos had 63 sacks in 2024, and with six sacks in the Week 1 victory over the Titans, the unit showed that last year wasn’t a fluke. In order for a unit to be that successful, it can’t just be those two guys making play after play, and it isn’t. With the likes of Zach Allen and John Franklin-Myers on the interior, Denver’s pass rushing unit is arguably the most balanced in the league.

“When you have two guys inside that can rush like that, it’s like, who’s the center going to slide to? Somebody’s going to get the one-on-one. That just frees up stuff on the outside when they’re not chipping for me and Coop, or [Dondrea Tillman] and [Jonah Elliss], whoever’s in there. John’s probably one of the best interior rushers in the league. Obviously, Zach’s shown he can do that as well. It’s going to be hard to block those two guys inside and that’s only going to benefit everybody on the outside,” Bonitto said.

Franklin-Myers is the only guy in the room who hasn’t gotten paid yet, which is a debate for another time. He’s heading into the final season of a two-year contract he signed with the Broncos before the 2024 season.

Bonitto is one of the most talented young rushers in the NFL, which he proved again with his efforts against the Titans on Sunday. However, the guys around him make his job so much easier every single week, and he wants to make sure that they get the love they deserve as well.

Related

Trading Peyton Watson signals the downfall of the NuggetsThe Broncos need to treat the preseason like It actually mattersBroncos-Packers: Three players to watchThey were briefly Broncos; now they want back into college footballWhat the Broncos’ addition of Taylor Rapp says about their safety depthBroncos place reserve linebacker on injured list, sign a veteran safety