Should Denver Broncos be concerned about absence of star pass-rusher?

The Denver Broncos have had better injury luck than some teams so far in training camp, but one player they hope gets better very soon is outside linebacker Nik Bonitto. Bonitto is entering his third season with the team, after being drafted in the second round out of Oklahoma in 2022.

Bonitto sustained a back injury early in camp, and has not been able to practice on a consistent basis since. He was out again on Wednesday, and although Broncos head coach Sean Payton said after practice that he was nearing a return, he did not offer a timetable on what day Bonitto could come back.

By all accounts Bonitto was having a good offseason before the injury, and the Broncos need him. Bonitto had eight sacks over 15 games for the Broncos in 2023, and emerged as one of the key players in its pass-rush rotation , alongside Jonathan Cooper and Baron Browning.

The Broncos drafted Jonah Ellis 76th overall in 2024, and reports indicate that he could make his way onto the field for Denver sooner rather than later. The team’s 2023 UDFA Thomas Incoom has had a great training camp and could also be in the mix for snaps, but Bonitto’s presence will be missed if he can’t start the season healthy.

There’s plenty of time for Bonitto to heal up and ensure he’s at 100% before Denver’s regular season begins on Sunday, Sept. 8 , so the Broncos are doing the smart thing by bringing him back slowly. But if he can’t go by the time the team suits up for its Week 1 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks , the depth of the edge room could be tested.