The Denver Broncos have led the NFL in sacks the last 2 seasons, including a run at the NFL’s single-season sacks record in 2025. It still doesn’t mean they’re looked at as the very best when it comes to the most important position on the field for getting sacks.
Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport put the Broncos at No. 2 on his list of the Top 10 NFL edge rusher duos, placing NFL All-Pro and 2-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year finalist Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper behind Houston Texans edge rushers Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter.
While Anderson and Hunter combined for more sacks (27.0) than Bonitto and Cooper (22.0) in 2025, it was the Broncos who claimed the No. 1 seed in the AFC Playoffs with a 14-3 regular-season record and advanced to the NFC Championship Game while the Texans were booted in the AFC Divisional Round for the 3rd consecutive season.
“In 2024, Bonitto exploded into stardom with 13.5 sacks,” Davenport wrote. “He backed that up last year by getting to the quarterback 14 times. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that opponents can’t focus on Bonitto because of the presence of Allen and Bonitto’s partner in crime on the edge in Jonathon Cooper. Cooper may not be an elite talent, but the 28-year-old is talented, versatile and productive — in each of the past three seasons, Cooper has hit the 50-tackle mark and added at least eight sacks. Over the last two years, the pair have combined to post 46 sacks. That’s rather a lot.”
Broncos Got ‘Tremendous Value’ in Nik Bonitto
If we can accept that there isn’t a marked difference between the Bonitto-Cooper duo and the Anderson-Hunter duo, then the difference in the money they’re being paid underlines how much better the Broncos are run as a franchise.
On April 17, the Texans signed Anderson to a 3-year, $150 million contract extension that made him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history.
The Broncos signed Bonitto to a 4-year, $106 million contract extension before the 2025 season.
It’s remarkable because the Broncos are now paying essentially half as much for a player with almost identical stats to Anderson, with Bonitto having the edge in many key categories.
“Nik Bonitto makes nearly HALF of Will Anderson Jr’s new deal per year,” DNVR’s Zac Stevens wrote on his official X account. “Bonitto already a TREMENDOUS value for the Broncos.”
Cooper signed a 4-year, $60 million contract extension with the Broncos in November 2024. The Texans signed Hunter to a 1-year, $40.1 million contract extension on March 5 after he played the 2025 season on a 1-year, $35.6 million contract.
Broncos Making Genius Moves With Extensions
The Broncos are earning a reputation for making the smartest financial moves possible — Bonitto and Cooper are just 2 examples.
In September 2024, the Broncos signed NFL All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain II to a 4-year, $96 million contract extension with $77.5 million in guaranteed money and $24 million in average annual salary.
Surtain, the 2024 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, is now the 6th-highest paid player at his position. The total value of his contract is a full $28 million less than the 4-year, $124 million contract signed by Los Angeles Rams cornerback Trent McDuffie in March 2026.
Broncos Edge Rushers Take Backseat to AFC Rivals in Position Rankings