Jonathon Cooper named AFC Defensive Player of the Week

The Denver Broncos have gone back-to-back with AFC Defensive Player of the Week awards. Nik Bonitto last week and now Jonathon Cooper this week. Cooper was in on a lot of pressures against the New York Jets on Sunday, piling up two total sacks, give tackles, a TFL, and three quarterback hits.

It’s been the Broncos defense helping the turnaround from 1-2 to 4-2. That trend hit the peak last week with the Broncos defense allowing just nine completions while piling up nine total sacks on the day. They also allowed -10 total net passing yards, which is the fewest allowed by any defense since 1998.

Cooper, a former seventh-round pick by the Broncos in the 2021 NFL Draft, has ascended to a dominant role at the edge position opposite Bonitto. He has piled up 19 total sacks over the 2023-2024 seasons and already has 4.5 sacks through six games in 2025.

Denver’s pass rush is on another level this season. Through six weeks, the Broncos defense leads the NFL in sacks with 30 and the next best team in this category has just 20. The franchise record is 63 — set last season by this same unit — and the NFL record is 72. It sure looks like they have a chance to break both this season.