Nik Bonitto is having an insane year.
The Denver Broncos have one of the best pass rushers in the NFL this year in Nik Bonitto, and some of his rankings should make fans very excited. Bonitto is now in his third year in the NFL and was kind of non-existent during his rookie season. In 2023, he broke out a bit and finished with eight sacks, 13 tackles for loss, and 20 QB hits.
Well, through 12 games in the 2024 NFL Season, not only is he having another career year, but his rankings among all pass rushers will truly make your jaw drop. Nik Boniitto has been a huge part in the Broncos defensive resurgence in 2024. The unit was among the worst in the league in 2023, but some small tweaks to the unit and some player development have skyrocketed this unit.
Bonitto himself is having a stellar year, and some of his numbers are truly top of his position.
Nik Bonitto is atop many statistical categories in 2024
The young pass rusher now has 10 sacks on the year, which is tied for the third-most in the NFL with Myles Garrett, and only trailing Trey Hendrickson and Danielle Hunter. He's also got 12 tackles for loss on the season, which is tied for the fourth-most in the NFL. The league-leader, Danielle Hunter, has 15.
And as for QB hits, Nik Bonitto has 17, which is tied for the sixth-most in the NFL. He's tied with Nick Bosa and Aidan Hutchinson. Bonitto is ahead of players like Dexter Lawrence, Quinnen Williams, Maxx Crosby, and Will Anderson Jr in QB hits.
And according to ESPN's numbers, Nik Bonitto ranks 16th in the NFL among all EDGE rushers in pass rush win rate.
Wherever you look, you can certainly find a flattering and flat-out elite number for Nik Bonitto. This coming offseason, he'll be eligible for a contract extension. Recently, the Denver Broncos extended Jonathon Cooper, so you would have to imagine that Bonitto could be next. Denver has done a nice job at taking care of their own players recently.
Courtland Sutton got a raise, and both Patrick Surtain II and Quinn Meinerz also got extensions themselves. It's clear that the Broncos front office led by GM George Paton wants to draft and develop their core guys. Them getting paid is also something that resonates well in the locker room.
Besides Bonitto, other players like Garett Bolles, Ja'Quan McMillian, Riley Moss, and Zach Allen could all see new contracts this coming offseason or the offseason after that. It's a new era in Broncos Country.
