Mile High Report
Jonah Elliss having a breakout year would make the Broncos pass rush even more dangerous in 2025.
With their 76th overall pick in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos selected Utah edge rusher Jonah Elliss. He was added to a Broncos edge rushing unit that had more questions than answers at the time and was viewed as someone who could push to start his rookie season.
However, that never happened because Nik Bonitto had a breakout year while he and Jonathon Cooper were one of the better pass-rushing duos in the NFL. Elliss spent his rookie year as a rotational pass rusher who came in to spell Bonitto or Cooper throughout the game. Despite that, Elliss flashed potential throughout the year and had a stretch where he had a sack in three straight games. The exciting rookie finished the year with 5 sacks and will look to build on that in year two with the Broncos.
Unfortunately, during their wildcard loss to the Buffalo Bills, Elliss suffered a fractured scapula bone in his right shoulder. His father, Luther Elliss, told Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson that Jonah is expected to be ready for April’s offseason drills and that it’s “just a broken bone” and will take 6-8 weeks to heal.
Now, with him recovered from this broken bone, Elliss will look to have a big second-year jump and give the Broncos another dominant pass rusher off the edge.
With Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper coming off breakout/career years, Elliss will likely start the year in the same role as last year. He is projected to be the top reserve edge rusher off the bench who will spell Bonitto/Cooper throughout the game, along with Dondrea Tillman and rookie Que Robinson.
The Broncos had the best pass rushing defense last year and will look to repeat and improve on that this upcoming season. One of the ways they can be even better is if Jonah Elliss has a second-year jump and shows growth and development in year two. We saw Nik Bonitto take that jump in his second and third years, so hopefully, we see Elliss do the same moving forward.
The bigger picture here is Nik Bonitto’s contract status. After coming off a breakout All-Pro and Pro Bowl year, Bonitto is looking for a big contract extension with the Broncos. It’s well deserved, but Jonah Elliss could factor into the whole equation. If we see Elliss improve and look like a cheaper in-house replacement, would the Broncos still give Bonitto a big contract extension? They may and probably still should, because you can never have enough pass rushers, but that...
