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Denver Broncos edge rusher Jonathon Cooper.

The Denver Broncos built their defense into 1 of the NFL’s very best over the last few years, and for the entirety of this offseason, there’s been little thought as to whether they can keep that up. They’ve been that good.

That was, however, until recent off-field issues may have altered that thinking somewhat, and now the Broncos are being forced to consider a future without $60 million star edge rusher Jonathon Cooper after he was arrested twice in 1 week.

Now, the Broncos are being forced to re-evaluate what they have on the roster at edge rusher behind Cooper, should he miss time this year due to suspension, possible incarceration, or even his outright release.

It’s a group that, surprisingly enough, The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider reports has “inspired confidence” in the Broncos’ coaching staff just 1 month away from the start of training camp.

“The Broncos ended their offseason program with a major bit of uncertainty hovering over the outside linebacker position — uncertainty that didn’t exist when OTAs began just three weeks ago,” Kosmider wrote. “Veteran Jonathon Cooper was excused by the team from minicamp following his second arrest in seven days. He faces multiple charges, including felony second-degree assault and misdemeanor harassment, stemming from a domestic incident with his then-girlfriend June 4 and a second incident one week later when Cooper was arrested on suspicion of violating a protective order.”

Broncos Need Another Elite Edge Rusher

Denver’s defense has become great because of 2 very specific things. The 1st is their ability to get to the passer. They set the franchise record with 63 sacks in 2024, then set it again with 68 sacks in 2025. The other isn’t a group project — it’s just the ability of NFL All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain II to lock down whatever elite NFL wide receiver lines up across from him.

Not having Cooper throws a big wrench in those plans. The Broncos have an NFL All-Pro at 1 edge rusher spot in Nik Bonitto, but having Cooper keep teams honest on the other side with 16.5 sacks over the last 2 seasons has been critical to Bonitto’s emergence as a superstar.

Cooper’s possible absence is magnified because the Broncos were already down 1 elite pass rusher from 2025 when defensive end John Franklin-Myers signed a 3-year, $63 million free-agent contract with the Tennessee Titans.

That’s money the Broncos, with hindsight being 20/20, would probably have happily paid if they knew then what they know now.

Broncos Need 1 of 3 Players to Step Up

While it’s nice on the surface to say it will take a group effort to replace Cooper, the truth is that if the Broncos want to keep things rolling how they’ve been, they will need 1 of the 3 players behind Bonitto and Cooper to emerge as a star: Jonah Elliss, Que Robinson, or Dondrea Tilman.

Out of those 3, Elliss seems the most ready to step into the role. He had 5.0 sacks backing up Cooper and Bonitto as a rookie in 2024, but only 2.5 sacks in 2025 as he dealt with injuries.

While head coach Sean Payton hinted Elliss might move to inside linebacker, that doesn’t appear to be the case anymore.

“He’s doing too well outside,” Payton told Kosmider following minicamp.