Jonathon Cooper: Nothing is stopping Broncos’ pass rush from being the most dominant unit in the NFL

Jonathon Cooper said that there is nothing stopping the Broncos' pass rush from being the most dominant unit in the NFL after practice on Friday

BY TRENT FINNEGAN

Jul 25, 2025, 1:25 PM Updated: 3:16 pm

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Watch: Can Jonah Elliss become Denver’s next big pass‑rushing star? — Or does Cooper keep the starting job? | 9 mins

The Denver Broncos became one of just 15 teams in NFL history to record at least 63 sacks in a single season in 2024. Jonathon Cooper, Nik Bonitto and Zach Allen led the charge in the sacks department a season ago, and Cooper believes that the unit can reach new heights in 2025.

The talk with the Broncos this offseason has been about the continuity on the offensive line, with all five starters from 2024, returning, but the defensive line has just as much chemistry and is also returning all the top dogs from a season ago, something that Cooper believes will play to the team’s advantage this year.

“[Continuity is] extremely important. You’ve got to be in tune with your teammates, you got to know what the other guy’s thinking, other guys feeling on certain plays, on certain calls, knowing each other’s jobs,” Cooper said after Broncos practice on Friday. “Those conversations don’t stop, [whether] we’re on the field or whether we’re off the field. We’re constantly talking about football, constantly building a better connection with each other, so that we can go out there and perform the way that we’re supposed to.”

After a great outing last year, the continuity should only make this unit better in the upcoming season.

“I don’t see no reason for us not to be most dominant unit in the league,” Cooper said. “There’s nothing holding us back. there’s nothing stopping us … I don’t think any of us have reached our potential, and we’re just going to keep working until we are the best the best in the league, honestly.”

That’s an answer that Broncos Country should love to hear. This unit was already the best in the league last year until the Eagles’ pass rush put up a performance for the ages in the Super Bowl, but Cooper knows that there is much more in store for them with another year together to build more chemistry and improve.

In 2024, Cooper had 10.5 sacks, the second-most on the team. Bonitto had 13.5, Allen had 8.5, John Franklin-Myers had 7.0 and two more players were able to post at least five. What made the unit so lethal a season ago was the fact that the production came from so many different players, not just from one or two guys.

Broncos training camp is now in full swing, and the first preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers is just 15 days away, the first time Broncos Country will get somewhat of a look at a team that has bigger goals than just making the playoffs in 2025.