Bo Nix teammate says he is hungrier after breakout year with Sean Payton’s Broncos

One of the pleasant surprises the NFL threw us last year was the Denver Broncos. After early struggles, Sean Payton managed to righten the ship and Bo Nix flourished into a quality rookie quarterback. He wasn’t the only one to step up massively. One of his teammates, who had a career-year, says he is even hungrier now.

We’re talking about pass rusher Nik Bonitto. On his third year, Bonitto took a massive step towards stardom in the NFL. He was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career. He racked up one interception, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovered returned to the endzone and 13.5 sacks. The Pro Bowl was undeniable.

Bonitto spoke to Jim Rome on Wednesday. “Honestly, I feel like it’s made me hungrier,“ the pass rusher said. “Now that I’ve kind of got a taste, having a really good season and everything that comes with that, I feel like I’ve attacked this offseason the hungriest I have. I’m really looking forward to getting back out there and seeing how much I’ve grown with all the training and stuff.”

Bonitto might be the defensive leader the Broncos need

Denver had a solid defensive season last year. The team had four players with 7+ sacks. John Franklin-Myers, Zach Allen, Jonathon Cooper and Bonitto were wrecking havoc on the trenches. Bonitto led the team in sacks, of course.

Nik Bonitto #15 of the Denver Broncos celebrates after recording a sack in the third quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Empower Field At Mile High on January 05, 2025 in Denver, Colorado.

If Bonitto can keep this up, he could end up leading a powerful unit for the foreseeable future. Sean Payton likes having defensive captains. Back on the Saints, he had Cam Jordan, now, maybe it’s Bonitto’s turn to become Payton’s go-to guy on defense.

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Denver is an interesting team ahead of the 2025 season

At first, no one really expected the Broncos to even try and go to the playoffs. However, after a rough 0-2 start, the team started to develop into Payton’s idea. They ended the regular season 10-7 and having earning a spot in the playoffs.

It was a one-and-done in the playoffs as the Buffalo Bills proved to be too much for Bo Nix and company. They suffered a tough loss, 7-31. However, the season itself has to be considered a success. Now, their plan for this season is to continue walking on this path.