Heading into Week 5, Denver Broncos edge rusher Nik Bonitto has forced himself into headlines after a dominant start to his 2025 season. In a recent ESPN article by Bill Barnwell, Bonitto was tabbed as his favorite to earn the Defensive Player of the Year honors.

“I'm just not sure we can put anybody ahead of Bonitto, who rates out as the best pass rusher in the NFL this season by about every metric I can put together beyond sacks -- where his 4.5 are a half-sack behind Brian Burns of the Giants,” Barnwell wrote in the article.

“Pressures? Bonitto's 27 are the most in football, and his 31.4% pressure rate is about double that of superstars like Hines-Allen and Aidan Hutchinson. Quick pressures? Bonitto's 15 are four more than anybody else in the league, and his 17.4% quick pressure rate is almost laughably outlandish.”

Bonitto signed a four-year extension with Denver in early September, a deal that could be worth up to $120 million with $70 million guaranteed. The deal came after a career year for Bonitto, recording 13.5 sacks while helping take the Broncos back to the playoffs for the first time since 2015.

The money hasn’t slowed down the 26-year-old in the slightest, as he has opened up his 2025 season on fire.

“Bonitto has simply been head and shoulders above everyone else in getting to the quarterback and creating problems this season,” Barnwell wrote of his play through the first four weeks of the season. “He made major strides between 2022 and 2023 and then again between 2023 and 2024. It looks as if he has leveled up into one of the league's best speed rushers in 2025.”

Beating out the likes of edge rusher Myles Garrett, a former DPOY himself, and defensive tackle Jefferey Simmons in Barnwell’s rankings, Bonitto’s relentless pressure has anchored a top Broncos defense. If Bonitto is to continue his dominant play, he would become the second Bronco in a row to be named the DPOY, after cornerback Patrick Surtain II won the award in 2024.

There’s no better opportunity to show the football world that he is the real deal than during Denver’s Week 5 game against the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. Bonitto will look to continue his DPOY campaign against star quarterback Jalen Hurts, who has led the Eagles to a 4-0 start to 2025. Kick off is set for 1:00 p.m. EST on Sunday in Philadelphia.