Broncos’ Nik Bonitto is on pace to have historic season

Nik Bonitto has been a diamond in the rough for the Denver Broncos. After he was selected with the No. 64 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, he has improved exponentially in each year he’s been in the league, highlighted by a 13.5-sack season a year ago that was the third-best mark in the NFL. As a result, George Paton and the rest of the Broncos’ brass inked their young star to a four-year contract that would keep him in the Mile High City for years to come.

That four year, $106 million contract made him just the 10th-highest paid edge rusher in the league. Through five games, it’s quickly turned into a steal, as he’s jumped out to an insane start that has put him on pace to put together one of the most historic seasons of all time off the edge.

Bonitto leads the NFL in sacks (7,0) and pressures (31) to start the season. His seven sacks through five games puts him on pace to finish the season with 24.0, a mark that would become a new benchmark in the NFL history books. The current record is shared by T.J. Watt and Michael Strahan, who both recorded 22.5 sacks in their best season. Only 11 other players in NFL history have eclipsed the 20-sack mark, none of whom were Broncos players. Von Miller holds the franchise record for sacks in a season, with 18.5 (2012).

The combination of speed and bend off the edge have made him a nightmare for opposing tackles — whether it’s the league’s best like Joe Alt or any other average tackle — to keep up with as soon as the ball has been snapped. His 2.5 sacks on Jalen Hurts this weekend was further proof that he is able to make an impact against the best teams in the league, and he doesn’t just put up stats against the Titans and Bengals.

Having a 2 sack lead on the entire NFL should be impossible after just 5 games. But that’s where we’re at w/ Broncos pass rusher Nik Bonitto. Here’s all 7… pic.twitter.com/easpMKIWfp

— Zach Bye (@byesline) October 6, 2025

For comparison, Strahan had 8.5 sacks through the first five games of his historic 2001 campaign, while Watt posted 7.0 in the same timeframe, so Bonitto is right on par with the best of the best to go get the job done.

Just because Bonitto is dominating doesn’t mean that Zach Allen, Jonathon Cooper and the rest of the Broncos pass rush isn’t doing their job. Cooper has 2.5 sacks while Allen has 1.5, and Allen has been consistently eating double teams in the middle of the line to allow his edge rushers to have one-on-one battles outside. His five pressures — which led the team — on Sunday played a key role in the Broncos coming back and winning.

This pass rush unit was the best in the NFL last season. Through five games this season, they’ve kept their mojo going from last season, led by Bonitto’s historic start.

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