- May 21, 2026
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Broncos edge rusher Nik Bonitto was a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year, an award easily won by Myles Garrett. But Bonitto totaled only six sacks in the final 11 games of last season.
Bonitto, though, played with a cast-like wrap around his right hand for much of the season and required wrist surgery in February.
“It was a little bit of everything really,’’ Bonitto told Mike Klis of 9NEWS. “It was just trying to work through the whole wrist thing. Not being able to have . . . . wearing the cast, it kind of takes away a lot of stuff you can do. Hard to shed; hard to grab; all those things.”
Bonitto said he saw more attention from opponents, too, after 10 sacks in a seven-game stretch dating to the 2024 finale against the Chiefs.
“It was game-plan stuff too,’’ Bonitto said. “Getting doubled more, getting chipped and cut more. It was all those things in a combination where it was a learning process for me as I continue to grow in my career.”
Bonitto still earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors for a second consecutive season.
“I want to continue to grow and be a better player than I was the previous year,’’ Bonitto said. “Whatever comes with that comes with it, but I just want to continue to get better.”
Bonitto, though, played with a cast-like wrap around his right hand for much of the season and required wrist surgery in February.
“It was a little bit of everything really,’’ Bonitto told Mike Klis of 9NEWS. “It was just trying to work through the whole wrist thing. Not being able to have . . . . wearing the cast, it kind of takes away a lot of stuff you can do. Hard to shed; hard to grab; all those things.”
Bonitto said he saw more attention from opponents, too, after 10 sacks in a seven-game stretch dating to the 2024 finale against the Chiefs.
“It was game-plan stuff too,’’ Bonitto said. “Getting doubled more, getting chipped and cut more. It was all those things in a combination where it was a learning process for me as I continue to grow in my career.”
Bonitto still earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors for a second consecutive season.
“I want to continue to grow and be a better player than I was the previous year,’’ Bonitto said. “Whatever comes with that comes with it, but I just want to continue to get better.”