Broncos Linebacker Talks Improvement Again Before Camp

Denver Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto is a semi-regular in the media these days, albeit in a good way. Bonitto is relentlessly focused on improvement on the field, and he’s nearly as relentless in talking about it, which he did in a piece from Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk that referenced an interview with Bonitto that appeared on the team website. 

Williams referenced Bonitto’s numbers, which are impressive. He had 13.5 sacks in 2024, and the linebacker finished ninth in Defensive Player of the Year voting. In 2025, he had 14 sacks and was fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting, which also reflects his growing presence as a media subject. 

Bonitto is trying to engineer a similar jump this year, but he’ll be getting more attention from opponents, especially with the fate of fellow linebacker Jonathon Cooper still up in the air. 

“I still have a lot of room to grow in my game in my game — in the run and in the pass,” Bonitto said. “Just keep trying to fine-tune these things, keep looking at other guys around the league that are doing it at a high level and seeing how I can put it into my game to continue to be the best player I know I can be.”

Bonitto is also focusing more on the postseason, which is a welcome opportunity now that the Broncos have made a deep playoff run. He was even better in the two games Denver played last year, with Williams focusing on the fact that he forced two fumbles, including a strip-sack, along with three tackles, a quarterback hit and a tackle for loss. Bonitto’s two forced fumbles led to six points in Denver’s 33-30 overtime win over the Bills.

“It’s obviously great when you can do it in the regular season,” Bonitto said, “but doing it in the postseason in those big type of moments, it gives you that confidence to know you’re supposed to be there, and you can make those types of plays on big stages.”

Expectations are high going into this season, with most of the questions revolving around the offensive changes Denver has made. The defense has been slightly remade, mostly with moves promoting players who were involved in depth roles last yaer. 

It will be up to players like Bonitto to at least hold the fort this season, but he has larger goals in mind, both personally and for the defense as a whole as the Broncos start to defend their AFC West title.