Over the course of the offseason, several Denver Broncos coaches including Head Coach Sean Payton and Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph hinted at a position switch for Jonah Elliss. They highlighted his versatility and athleticism as primary reasons. However, it appears that is no longer a part of the equation.
After Denver’s first training camp practice in pads, Payton clarified the team’s vision for Elliss. Describing him as an ‘ascending’ talent at edge rusher, the third-year player will continue
his NFL journey at the position for the upcoming season.
“All the cut-up tape, his production, his ball disruption, it just, for me, felt like, ‘Man, we’re taking a position that’s harder to find, and moving him to a position that we think might be a little bit easier to replace.’ That’s not to say that we can’t package a few things, but I think we felt like he’s really ascending as an edge player, and we didn’t want to disrupt that,” stated Paton.
In his first two seasons with the Broncos, Elliss has appeared in 30 games and averaged roughly 38-percent of the defense’s total snaps in that timeframe. In his rookie season, the former third-round pick impressed with 38 tackles and 5 sacks. Missing four games due to injury in 2025, his sack total was halved, and he amassed just 28 tackles.
Despite a decrease in sack total, the former Utah standout saw a drastic increase in several key metrics from his rookie to sophomore gridiron campaigns. Elliss’ hurry rate rose from 4.7-perent to 7.5-percent. Additionally, his quarterback hit rate went from 2.3-percent to 6.3-percent. Last but not least, there was a big pressure rate increase from 8.6-percent to 12.4-percent.
On top of Elliss’ production at edge rusher, one can’t help but wonder if a potential suspension for Jonathon Cooper factored into the equation to a degree. While no discipline has been levied by the league yet, there is chance Cooper may miss a mandatory six games to start the season, even with the legal process on going.
Elliss is competing alongside Dondrea Tillman and second-year player Que Robinson at the position. With the possibility of Cooper being absent from the team’s game plans for the first third of the season, the Broncos will need that trio to be ready and take the reins if necessary.
