Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Denver Broncos Pass Rush Solidified With Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Denver Broncos outside linebacker room proved to be one of the most fruitful positions on the Broncos roster in 2024. What does that mean for them going into this upcoming season and off season? We'll break that down and much more on today's episode, Locked on Broncos. You are Locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. Broncos country, what's happening? Welcome into another episode, Lockdown Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast. part of the Lockdown podcast network, your team every day. Thank you so much to everyone in Broncos country, all the everydayers,

Starting point is 00:00:41 all the first listeners who choose to make us part of your day. However, you choose to do so for all your Broncos news, content coverage analysis and more, lockdown Broncos is the place to be. I'm Cody Rourke, credential Broncos reporter for Mile High Sports, joined as always by Serbedinger, site expert, predominantly orange.com. And we've got a great show in store for you here today as we continue to look back at some positions that played on this team here and also giving a little bit of a reflection on looking forward. How can this position group improve?

Starting point is 00:01:10 We're looking at outside linebacker, more importantly, how do the Broncos answer some of the biggest questions facing that position? What will be the status of Jonah Ellis going into training camp? We'll highlight that. Will the Broncos find a way to extend Nick Benito in 2025? And more importantly, how has the Broncos edge rusher position become a massive strength for this team? You'll get all that here on today's episode of the. the show, which is brought to you by our friends over there at Game Time.

Starting point is 00:01:36 Download the GameTime app, create an account, use code locked on NFL for $20 off your first purchase. Sarah, going into, I feel like, 2024 when you and I were going through our training camp position previews, we were looking at the edge rush or position saying, okay, what is this position group going to look like this year? There were some questions because you had a couple of guys whose contracts were expiring after the season, and you had, you know, maybe this notion, okay, the Broncos took a rookie in the dress. draft. This was the biggest question mark, I think, for this team coming into the season. We were unsure about Edge, but man, did we have our questions answered? Big question going into the season. And then you had two guys, Eclipse, double digit

Starting point is 00:02:17 sacks, Jonathan Cooper and obviously Nick Benito, the first time that a Broncos duo has done that since Von Miller and Bradley Chubb back in 2018. And of course, the common denominator there is Vance Joseph, who was the head coach back then and is now the defensive coordinator in Denver. but credit is also due to pass rush specialist Jamar Kane, who's done great work with those guys, obviously more so than just the edge players. But look, Cody, when you talk about this edge group, I mean, it's top to bottom.

Starting point is 00:02:47 It's not just the top two guys. It's the depth at this group with Dandre Tillman, who ended up being outstanding as a rookie addition. Jonah Ellis, who was really, really good in spots for the Denver Broncos this past year, even saw some pass rush stuff from Drew Sanders, late in the season. So everybody was getting involved. That was the coolest thing to see.

Starting point is 00:03:07 But to have two guys, Eclipse 10 sacks, I mean, that's exactly what you want to see out of an edge group, guys that will close out games, guys that make big plays. And these guys certainly did that

Starting point is 00:03:18 over the course of 2024. Man, so many of them made plays. Jonathan Cooper. I mean, Nick Bonito. And early on, like,

Starting point is 00:03:25 here's the crazy thing about when we'll talk about Nick Benito's meteoric rise here. But Nick Benito didn't even start the year at outside linebacker because the Broncos had Jonathan Cooper and Baron Browning. And then early on, Baron Browning suffered an injury against the Pittsburgh Steelers in week two. And from that point, he really never saw much opportunity on the field after that.

Starting point is 00:03:43 The Broncos traded him away because they're like, hey, we really like what we've seen here from Nick Benito. And really like Jonathan Cooper, Baron Browning, both players' contracts were expiring. So we saw Nick Benito step into the starting role, right? But then we saw the Broncos extend Jonathan Cooper. So it's like, all right, now they got him locked up for the foreseeable future here. you're going to have solidarity at this position, at least going into 2025. Oh, and then now Nick Benito all of a sudden gets double-digit sacks, is racking up pressures.

Starting point is 00:04:08 Oh, and he's got, you know, a couple of pick sixes on the season. And it's like, wow, Nick Benito took such a leap. Remember, like, his rookie season, we were sitting here talking on the show, how is Nick going to see time? How is he going to get on the football field? Like the Broncos, like even in his rookie year, they had injuries at that position. And Nick still couldn't find his way on the field at that time,

Starting point is 00:04:29 under a zero ebro. But then last year, stepped up and carved out a really big role for himself this year. Borderline put himself on superstar status. His rise has been incredible to watch. It really has. I mean, you've got a star player off the edge.

Starting point is 00:04:44 We talked about it going into the season, in the off season, like how many debates did you and I have, not just with, not each other necessarily. We don't often debate on this show. You and I are typically on the same page, but with other people who would say,

Starting point is 00:04:59 well the Broncos, they have a bunch of robins off the edge. They don't have a Batman, right? And we thought you and I that maybe a Batman could emerge from the group that was already there. And not a lot of people agreed with that necessarily. And so to see the Broncos take the approach that they did of saying, hey, player development, player development, despite so many folks saying they should go, and I would have welcomed it, like go sign Daniel Hunter, go sign Jonathan Grenard, go get one of these guys who could be the Batman off the edge. I was one of those people, and I think you were too, Cody, who was, that would be fun to see.

Starting point is 00:05:34 But at the same time, if you roll with the guys that you've got, I think you might have something there. And we were both pretty optimistic on Baron Browning. And I think understandably so, but Nick Benito became that guy. Whereas a year ago, or I guess two years ago now, we were sitting there wondering like, okay, Randy Gregory, Frank Clark, like how exciting is it Broncos country to not be having those types of discussions anymore? So you trade away Bradley Chubb, you lost Von Miller a couple of years back. Somebody needed to step up. And it's really, really fun to see in-house guys stepping up and becoming those cornerstone pieces for the edge group.

Starting point is 00:06:13 Well, and think about, too, if Denver didn't have Cooper or Benito emerged, and we'd be sitting here talking about, okay, like the Broncos have all these days. But now you're going to have to go out there and you have to pay big money to a pass rusher because you need a legit pass rusher here. The Broncos have two of those guys. And look, let's focus on the guys behind them, too. We're going to get obviously into Dondray Tillman and rookie Jonah Ellis. These two guys exceeded my expectations by and large in a massive way, right?

Starting point is 00:06:39 Jonah Ellis, we knew because of how high he was drafted that, all right, there's something that this team sees him. You see the high motor, but then you actually started watching him on the field. You know, you see him in the preseason. You're like, okay, I get it. I see what the buzz and the hype is surrounding Jonah Ellis. And then Dondre Tilman was this guy who just wrecked havoc in the UF and was looking for his opportunity to get into the National Football League.

Starting point is 00:07:01 And all of a sudden, now he's getting in. He's getting sacks. I mean, I think really in his first game where he had meaningful snaps, he had two sacks on Baker, Mayfield, in the Broncos big time week three win against Tampa Bay. And all of a sudden, it's like, wow, all right, the Broncos, they have two really good starters. Now they have two really good backups behind them as well.

Starting point is 00:07:21 To me, it's set up where all of a sudden, any question we really had about this position going into 2024, I felt like they were answered relatively quickly during the season. And man, they got great contributions from all four of those guys at that position. It's really a huge advantage for a defense when you can send pass rush in waves. Like when your guys, your top guys can come off the field and you can still have a ton of success rushing the quarterback, you don't get to a team record 67, 66 or whatever it was, Sacks this year.

Starting point is 00:07:54 63. Something. 63. I'm embellishing. a little bit, Cody. I'm sure there was a number of sacks. Well, when you factor in the, yes, exactly. When you factor in that, I think it was 67, 68, maybe even 69. Which would be real nice for the Denver Broncos.

Starting point is 00:08:09 But to your point about the depth, it was, you know, there was different times during the year where I believe both Kate, or Jonah Ellis, excuse me, Jonah Ellis, not Caden Ellis, his brother, but Jonah and Dondre Tillman each had a stretch of three straight games with at least one sack. And so when you're talking about your depth, producing at that consistent of a level. That's pretty wild. And it's a huge testament to obviously the coaches, again,

Starting point is 00:08:34 Vince Joseph, Jamar Kane. So this position group, you know what I will talk about this, but I feel like Broncos country, you can go to bed at night, really resting on the fact that, hey, we've got the edge position figured out for the foreseeable future.

Starting point is 00:08:48 I used to stay up all night, just dreaming, sitting there, staying to myself, gosh, I miss having a pass rusher. I wish the Broncos could, find a legit guy. And guess what? I sleep like a baby now. Broncos country, I'm sure you do as well. Let us know your thoughts on the pass rush room off the edge here in 2024. What were your expectations going into the season? And what are your expectations now that you've seen the season

Starting point is 00:09:13 conclude? Things are very optimistic here for 2025. But with that said, what are some of the biggest questions surrounding the edge rusher position going into 2025? Well, the biggest one is will the Broncos extend Nick Benito. We'll tell you why they need to get on that very quickly. on today's episode, Lockdown Broncos. Today's Lockdown Broncos podcast is brought to my friends over there at the Game Time app. And attending NFL playoff games is an unforgettable experience that brings fans together. So imagine what that's going to be like if you want to attend the big game here in just about a week, week and a half here.

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Starting point is 00:10:14 Use code locked on NFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, create an account and redeem code L-O-C-E-D-O-N-N-FL for $20 off. game time today. Last minute tickets, lowest price guaranteed. The Denver Broncos extended a number of core players in 2024, but one of the guys that might get a bag in 2025 is Nick Benito, the star pass rusher who emerged into a defensive player of the year candidate in 2025. The question becomes, when do the Broncos do this? Not if Cody and I are going to talk about the win in 2025 here on today's episode, locked on

Starting point is 00:10:53 Broncos with Broncos country. Thanks so much for making us part of your day. However you choose to do so, especially you every dayers out there. Shout out to all of you that comment on the YouTube videos and engage with us on Twitter, things like that, just to make the show what it is because it's all about you, the everyday fan of the Denver Broncos. You know your boys, Cody and Sarah. We got you every single day this off season. And let's talk about Nick Benito because I mean, he's a Jersey guy for me, Cody. For those that are watching on YouTube, I'm buying into the hype. I'm buying into the Nick Bonito, like being a Jersey guy, being a guy that's going to be around in Denver for a long time. The question is, how are they going to get this done? Because they didn't really extend guys until later in the off season last year.

Starting point is 00:11:39 If you look back at it, right? I mean, Pat Sertan, Quinn Miners, and then some in-season moves as well happened. Do you feel like that's going to be different here with Nick Benito and they extend him sometime before even free agency starts? I mean, there's certainly a possibility, especially if it creates more salary cap space here for the Broncos. And look, you know, when we talked about our tease was, will the Broncos extend him? We'll tell you why they should extend him really quickly. And the thing is, because the price here, it's always going up, right? Every year, we see the positions kind of reset the market a little bit. And as obviously, I was in talking, if you could pull up Spottrack, who are some undraptuited free agents,

Starting point is 00:12:18 like the bigger name free agents that are set to hit at the pass rush position? and what is like the highest estimated market value at this point, right? I'm very curious to find out what that is. But like for Benito, you know, look, he turned in. Year number two, he made the most drastic improvement. You could say he was the most improved player on the Broncos roster. Okay, now from year two to year three. Okay, how did he take the next step?

Starting point is 00:12:42 Like that was unbelievable to see. He was in consideration. When you look at all the betting sites out there, he had the third best odds for NFL defensive player of the year. So it kind of baffles me. And I'm not too happy about it. I'm glad Pat's a finalist because he should be. And Pat should win this award.

Starting point is 00:12:58 But Nick Benito should have been considered a finalist for NFL defensive player of the year. But you know what? He's in that conversation now. Everyone knows who Nick Benito is. And we were talking about other guys here on this defense. He talked about the Jonah Ellis's, the Dondre Tillman's, you know, guys that, you know, John Gruden would say the anonymous crush. Like, you don't know who these guys are, but here they are making plays.

Starting point is 00:13:20 Everybody now knows who Nick Bonito. is and man they got to watch him on national platforms that Monday night game where he you know he got after James Winston he had the pick six uh you know that that right there was the exciting thing and then you know the Indianapolis Colts he does the Marshaun Lynch in the end zone on another pick six it's like wow this Nick Benito guy is very special he's on the Pat McAfee show so it's like okay hey now the stock is rising in terms of like oh who is this guy like people on the outside and I even saw fans of other team saying wow Nick Benito definitely deserves to be played even saw some AFCS division and rivals saying that, which I'm like, okay, you don't normally see that, but okay, we'll take it.

Starting point is 00:13:56 Absolutely. So for me, the price is always going to go up. It changes every year. Who are some of the unrestricted guys here that could maybe get some big contract deals as well? Because this might be able to set a baseline a little bit. Yeah, you look at somebody like Josh Sweat with the Philadelphia Eagles, Cody. His estimated market value is 18.8 million per year.

Starting point is 00:14:17 But if you look at this edge group and free agency, I mean, really, there's not a lot of guys that you would sit there and say, hey, this guy is going to get a lot of money. So it's kind of a weird year in terms of if Nick Benito and his agent are looking for like comparables out there in terms of age and things like that. You might have to go back to last year where like Jonathan Grenard, I believe he got 19 million average annual salary. And then there's the outliers at the edge position that get like over 20 million per year. So I could see the 19 to 20 million per year. for Nick Benito on a contract. Let's kind of round it off.

Starting point is 00:14:55 De Niel Hunter got a massive one last year. He did. 24.5. So that's the, that right there is the reason why you extend Nick Bonito now because Daniel Hunter, I believe, I think that's his third contract.

Starting point is 00:15:09 He's a really rare guy who came into the league at like 20 years old or something like that. He's 29 now. He's 29 now. So yeah, that was his third contract. But for Bonito, I say just let's just make it clean,

Starting point is 00:15:21 four years, 80 million, throw him the extension, give him, what, three years guaranteed, so 60 million. I think that's a fair deal for everybody, and it gives the Broncos the opportunity to continue to build around both he and Jonathan Cooper going forward. I think that's a smart thing to do. You know, you got coop locked up. You got two very capable young guys behind you. I think an extension for Nick Benito gets done here.

Starting point is 00:15:45 You know, speaking of the young guy here in Jonah Ellis, obviously in the playoff game against the Buffalo Bills, Dionne Dawkins pulled from. left to right and hit him in the shoulder and fractured his shoulder. He had surgery on it. And his father had told Chris Thomason of the Post Gazette that's going to be the six to eight week recovery. We'll see how things go because it is a little tricky. It's the same shoulder.

Starting point is 00:16:06 He suffered an injury on at Utah. Obviously, I think he tore his rotator cuff initially at Utah, missed the rest of the season after playing really dominant, playing through the injury for a little bit. So part of me is wondering if this is going to impact his timeline for OTAs and, you know, workouts that are going to begin at the end of April. shortly after the NFL draft. I'm very curious about his status. I know that's probably one of the only questions we really have

Starting point is 00:16:27 surrounding just the contract extension. For the most part, this position is pretty set in stone. It is. And I think you've got those top four guys for sure set in stone, right? Jonathan Cooper, we know he's already been extended regardless if an extension happens or not in the offseason with Nick Benito.

Starting point is 00:16:45 He's under contract. This is the final year of his rookie deal. So, I mean, I guess maybe could you see a hold out there? Like that's a question that I hadn't thought of until just now. But I mean, that's, it's always possible for guys going into a contract here, especially with somebody like Benito who's got leverage now after having a massive breakout campaign. That is possible, Broncos country. So maybe don't be surprised if that ends up happening.

Starting point is 00:17:09 And then, of course, you've got Jonah Ellis who will be, I mean, I guess that eight week timeline, Cody puts us at the point to where, you know, when we see guys come back to report for lifting and conditioning and things like that, I'm sure he'll be there. But we'll see what happens with that. And then Dondre Tillman, he's an exclusive rights free agent. We talked about that in a previous episode of the show. And what does that mean?

Starting point is 00:17:32 It basically just means that the Broncos, there's a preset amount that every exclusive rights free agent is owed regardless of team in the NFL. The Broncos can offer him a tender and basically nobody else can take him away. So it's not like risk of losing him. So he'll be back. And then you look at guys off the edge that they develop on the practice squad, Cody. I don't know if anybody really stood out over the course of the year. There was not, not any big names on the practice squad in terms of past rush guys that you're like,

Starting point is 00:18:02 hey, the Broncos watch out for this guy next year. So it's going to be interesting to see what happens there as well. Yeah, they got Andrew Farmer and they gave him, obviously, they signed into a future reserve contract. Obviously, he spent some time with the Los Angeles Chargers previously. And then, you know, one of the guys that played on the practice squad, I don't know if he's got an OLB designation. I think he's got a linebacker like inside outside, but KJ Coyd was a player that was on the practice squad.

Starting point is 00:18:26 I didn't even know about for the most part. But then at the end of the season, you know, he started to see his name. Like, you know, he was on, they have placards and they list who are like scout team players of the week and things like that. KJ. Claude was on that consistently.

Starting point is 00:18:38 Good enough for him to get a futures contract. Obviously with the Broncos, there's one guy that Jonathan Cooper was highlighting the hay, like, pay attention to this kid. So he's going to be someone we're going to be watching an OTA, and obviously once training camp rolls around. So Denver, I think they're really good at this position. They don't really have any large questions outside of the ones about the extension and

Starting point is 00:18:58 Jonah Ellis's timeline rate there. I don't even think the Broncos even have to look at addressing this position at all, whether it be free agency or the NFL draft. I don't even think they need to add a guy at this point. So that's something obviously we'll continue to talk about here. Obviously on lockdown Broncos, we continue to go here. But we'll even look into that too. We're going to share our thoughts.

Starting point is 00:19:16 We have takes on whether or not the Broncos, should make a move at this position. And if so, what would it be? We'll share that much more here on today's episode, Lockdown Broncos. Today's Lockdown Broncos podcast is brought through my friends over there at Prize Picks in the big game. It's almost here. And there's no better way to make it more exciting than with prize picks.

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Starting point is 00:20:38 But there's also another one as well. We talked about a little bit in the prior segment here. But considering where the Broncos are at with their starters, with their two deep on the back end with some of their practice squad, Guys, is this a position that the Broncos should make any type of move at this off season? Make sure you share your take with us here, Broncos country. Sarah, I'm going to kick it over to you. I want your take here to this question. Do the Broncos make any move surrounding edge this season?

Starting point is 00:21:04 Because I still think there is maybe one looming question as to where the heck is Drew Sanders going to play? Is it going to be an off ball or is he going to be edge again? Like we don't know the answer to this question. Hopefully, Sean Payton, George Payton, they answer this one for us at the NFL Scout and Combine coming up in March. I know their situations aren't exactly the same, Cody, but I kind of hope that Sean Payton looks at what happened with Zach Bonn in New Orleans and what he's become now with the Philadelphia Eagles and is like, hey, you know, we can we can do this with Drew Sanders. Like, we don't need to go pay $17 million a year for Zach Bond and free agency. We can see what we've got in

Starting point is 00:21:39 Drew Sanders on our own roster because remember, when Zach Bonn was coming out of Wisconsin, he was a hybrid edge guy who had never even played defense until he got to Wisconsin. He was a high school quarterback, really good athlete. That story sounds a little familiar, doesn't it? I mean, Drew Sanders was supposed to be a tight end for Lincoln Riley as an heir apparent, I believe, to, you know, one of those guys that they've had there. I can't remember who was specifically leaving school that he was supposed to go and be a tight end at Oklahoma. And then all of a sudden, things shift. You go play outside backer for Nick Saban at Alabama. And then things don't work out there because you're playing behind Will Anderson,

Starting point is 00:22:18 Jr. So you transfer to Arkansas, where you become a inside linebacker in an all-American. I think the sky's the limit for Drew Sanders there, Cody. And look at Zach Bond's transition. Like he was relegated to outside backer in New Orleans, special teams didn't work out. He goes to Philly

Starting point is 00:22:34 becomes a defensive MVP candidate at inside linebacker. So that's where I'm at Drew Sanders. I can see that. And obviously not to flip it here. When you were talking about Zach Bonn, I was doing a little bit of research because, you know, I didn't know the ties that bind there, but Jim Leonard was at Wisconsin when Zach Bond was there. So maybe some insight and maybe a guy like Jim who obviously was a defensive coordinator knows a lot about like, hey, all right, maybe we can use this.

Starting point is 00:22:59 Like even though he coaches the DBs for Denver and he's the passing game coordinator, this is where I feel like Jim's expertise can come and say, hey, Zach was playing this position for us here. Here's how we can use Drew Sanders in this way. So I kind of like that. And we'll see if Drew can make that jump in that leap here. I think that would be a very fun development here to maybe watch for. I like your take here. And obviously, Broncos country, feel free to share yours as you're continuing to listen or to watch the show here.

Starting point is 00:23:25 My take is, I do not think that they need to add to this position at all. I think their overall depth is strong. I like the guys behind, obviously, the starters and the two deep from the practice squad that are developmental players. But obviously, as you know, when the off season rolls around and you get into workouts or you're doing some on-field stuff, some injuries can pop up. And look, you're in the process. you have to fill out a 90-man roster.

Starting point is 00:23:46 And Denver is not at 90 yet, and they're a long ways from that. So it doesn't hurt to add a handful of bodies on this because I remember last year, Denver had a handful of guys like Dorel and Chami being one of those guys. I'm trying to remember who else was there with Dorel and Chami. There was a few other names that I can't remember off the top of my head, but they're not even on the team. They're not even on the park. It didn't work out very well for those guys.

Starting point is 00:24:10 But there were some guys that were impressive. I'm trying to remember who number 53. was for the Broncos, unless that wasn't a job. That's a great question because I don't remember, I remember going into every preseason, Cody. I always love to kind of like stack up the pass rushers on the, you know, you look at the roster and you say, okay, who's coming off the edge? Because those guys are going to have arguably the best opportunity in the preseason to impress. I do think the Broncos could do a little bit better of a job of maybe adding some more like

Starting point is 00:24:40 dynamic skill sets at the edge in terms of those guys. who could comprise your practice squad, you know, options there. So let's go get some freak athletes who maybe get overlooked in the draft. Or maybe you see somebody late in the late rounds that you're like, all right, this guy has traits in spades. Let's add him to the fray and see what happens because you can at least utilize that on special teams. So I know who it was. It was Thomas Incom.

Starting point is 00:25:05 I can't believe I forgot Thomas Incombe's name. He was on there at that position overall. As I'm looking at some other ones here, Ronnie Perkins. They had Ronnie Perkins on the roster. Jalen Allen, obviously the undrafted guy that was looking really well for them as well. Okay, so there we go. I apologize if those guys happen to be watching the show. I mean, like I said, there's so many guys that come in and out of the roster,

Starting point is 00:25:26 especially from one training camp to the next there. But I mean, really Denver, in my opinion, I don't think they need to make a room, but they have, they have, I think, some spots open in the preseason where it's like, all right, how much are you going to play Nick Benito and Jonathan Cooper in the preseason? Okay, maybe a series at this point. maybe a series and a half, but you need your other guys. Like Jonah Ellis and Dondray Timwin will play quite a bit in the preseason, I imagine. But then it's like, what's that rotation going to look like behind those guys?

Starting point is 00:25:52 Andrew Farmer, KJ. Coyd, you're going to need at least one or two more guys off the edge that can play that position for you in the preseason. Look, I also think some things are headed towards two preseason games and 18 regular season games, which I'm not necessarily a fan of that approach there because, look, I think the preseason is so crucial for your guys. who are on the fringe fighting for a roster spot, I don't think two games is good enough to showcase, all right, this guy's going to make your 53-man roster. I think I missed the old format of four preseason games,

Starting point is 00:26:24 to be honest with you, 16 regular season games because you would not see starters play in those final two games. You get to see these younger guys have a little bit more emphasis on development. And I think the Denver's developmental traits here from Jonah Ellis, Dondre Tillman. I'm just excited to see what Dandre is going to do

Starting point is 00:26:41 even in his second season here. as well as Jonah Ellis. I mean, there was so much to like from it. And then for Benito and Cooper, you already know what you're getting from those guys. And it's pretty good production. So I feel very comfortable with this position.

Starting point is 00:26:54 This might be the one position outside of quarterback on the roster, which how long has it been since we've been able to say that that I'm super comfortable with. I can put my head on my pillow at night and I can sleep peacefully. Thank goodness, right, for both of those situations. Because if you don't have a quarterback and if you can't rush the pastor, you ain't going far in the NFL.

Starting point is 00:27:12 But the Broncos, thankfully have those two things kind of figured out. One idea that I do like Cody, since we did inside backers yesterday and we're talking Edge today, how about this guy for a trade candidate? Because he's got one year left on his contract. I don't know if they would trade him, but he's close to 30.

Starting point is 00:27:27 So maybe they would. The Atlanta Falcons have a guy named Caden Ellis, who I accidentally named Sliped earlier. I don't hate the idea of the Broncos finding a way to trade for him. A guy who can play inside backer, who can be a pressure player for you. he kind of just causes havoc out there. It makes it almost feel like you've got 12 guys,

Starting point is 00:27:46 although for the Falcons, I think they would argue otherwise with the way their defense played this past year. But at times, I mean, Caden Ellis is that type of guy that flies around the field. He's got range. He's aggressive. He's instinctive. And I think, I mean,

Starting point is 00:27:59 heck, I bet you he'd love to play with this little bro. I know that they did the jersey swap last season, where he had this really heartfelt thought out message. And then his little brother had like, sorry, you lost kind of a thing that he wrote on his jersey. to him, but just I would love to see that kind of a trade.

Starting point is 00:28:15 Like you got one year left on your deal over there, relatively inexpensive. We know Sean Payton loves the guy because he had him in New Orleans. That could be a guy that could help your pass rush depth without affecting the edge group at all. And we'll see. I mean, really where the Broncos are at, you know, Michael Will Hoyt has done such a tremendous job, in my opinion, coaching those guys on the outside because he's a former player that's transitioned into a coach. And man, he's got a lot of those guys.

Starting point is 00:28:39 Same thing with Jamar Kane. And part of me is wondering, like, what, of flexibility will this room have? That's going to be a fun question and maybe kind of follow here. And look, Broncos country, really the only time I think we're going to figure out if the Broncos address anything in this position is going to be NFL free agency, which is on March 12th. And then the NFL draft, which is coming up in April. But it's good going into a season knowing, hey, the Broncos are all right at pass rusher. And we'll see how things formulate here throughout the entire off season. But as always, if you want to know what's going on with your favorite team, your boys, Sarah, myself, Cody Rourke. We're going to keep you covered every single day all year long because for the true. fan there is never in off season one thing we are going to take a look at though mondays episode

Starting point is 00:29:17 show for all you every dayers out there in broncos country we're going to continue our position review series we're going to take a look at the broncos defensive end position but we're also going to highlight chris banjo leaving the debor broncos for the new york jets obviously a great promotion for him will highlight the impact of that much more on monday's episode of the show we'll see you then

Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Denver Broncos Pass Rush Solidified With Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper

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