Broncos look to keep their edge rushing the passer in 2026, built around Bonitto and Allen

The Denver Broncos’ pass rush is being discussed as one of the most dangerous elements in the NFL as the league moves toward the 2026 season. Yahoo Sports highlighted an assessment from Sports Illustrated NFL writer Matt Verderame arguing that Bonitto and Allen form the 3rd-best pass-rushing duo heading into 2026, describing them as a pair that “creates absolute havoc up front.”

The case for Denver’s incoming pass-rush momentum is anchored in production from 2025. The piece points to the Broncos leading the NFL with 68 sacks that season, with Bonitto and Allen credited as major contributors: 14 sacks for Bonitto and 7 sacks for Allen. The overall message is that Denver did not merely generate pressure through one standout. It leaned on a two-man problem for opposing offenses.

Bonitto and Allen are presented in the write-up as complementary forces, with the author’s broader argument that elite pass-rushing duos can change game plans. When both players can win consistently, offenses are forced into quicker decisions, extra attention in protection, or conservative play-calling that can reduce efficiency across a full drive.

For Denver, the significance of this kind of projection goes beyond one statistical category. A dominant pass rush shapes the entire defensive plan: it can affect third-down conversions, shorten games for the secondary by increasing hurried throws, and influence how much the defense can sit back without sacrificing pressure. Even if the exact sack totals are not repeated, sustaining the ability to generate disruptive plays is often the difference between “good defense” and “defense that controls outcomes.”

Still, as Denver enters 2026, the durability of an edge-rushing identity is something to watch rather than assume. Sack production can be influenced by scheme, offensive line quality across opponents, and how quarterbacks adjust once they see pressure coming from recognizable threats. The Broncos’ 2025 sack volume provides a strong baseline, but the league’s year-to-year swings are real, and defenses must remain adaptable to counter what offenses counter with.

What to monitor next is how Denver’s front translates disruptive pressure into consistent results across different quarterback styles and offensive groupings. If Bonitto and Allen continue to force hurried throws and create behind-the-line plays at a high rate, the Broncos’ pass rush can remain a defining factor even in matchups where sack totals are not as high as 2025.

In the broader NFC landscape, a top-tier pass rush is also a standings accelerant. Teams that can pressure the pocket regularly tend to keep themselves in position for late-season games where small margins decide playoff seeding. If Denver’s pass rush truly remains one of the league’s best pairs, the Broncos’ 2026 ceiling likely depends heavily on that front’s ability to set the tempo early and sustain it late.

For fans and observers, the key question is whether Bonitto and Allen can maintain their effectiveness together while the rest of the roster and the league’s offensive counters evolve. The groundwork is there, based on 2025’s sack production and the reported ranking for 2026, but the next season will be the proof. The Broncos’ pass rush will be the first thing many opponents game-plan around, and that attention can itself become a weapon.