ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — George Paton is one of the NFL’s cagiest general managers. He isn’t going to telegraph his pick or tip his hand at something as public as a pre-draft press conference, which he held April 22 at Broncos headquarters.
However, in the wake of the Broncos taking Oklahoma edge rusher Nik Bonitto with the No. 64 overall pick, one can look at his words and the state of the Broncos’ outside-linebacker corps and see the bread crumbs.
Paton said that the expiring contract of fifth-year veteran Bradley Chubb would not play a role in the Broncos’ decision. However, one cannot ignore Chubb’s injury history, as the 2018 first-round pick has missed 24 of a possible 49 games since the start of the 2019 season. And free-agent pickup Randy Gregory has been beset by injuries and suspensions since he broke into the league in 2015 as a second-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys, and now he is recovering from shoulder surgery,.
The Broncos have two major dice rolls at their starting slots at outside linebacker, and when they gave backup Malik Reed an original-round restricted-free-agent tender, they revealed a willingness to let Reed walk if he received a viable offer. Reed did not, and returned to the Broncos this month.
So, now the Broncos have Chubb, Gregory, Reed and second-year players Baron Browning and Jonathon Cooper. Sounds like a lot — but not to Paton.
”You just can’t have enough pass rushers,” Paton said April 22. “If we take a pass rusher, that has nothing to do with Bradley. We can’t have enough.”
And the Broncos didn’t mask their interest in Bonitto, making him one of their “top 30” visits permitted by the NFL in the weeks leading up to the draft. During that trip to Dove Valley, Bonitto felt a “vibe,” as he put it.
“Just getting the vibe from the staff and all the guys that are upstairs — they really made me a priority, really made me feel like they wanted me,” Bonitto said.
He likely won’t be wanted as a starter — at least not right away. But with two huge gambles on the edges, it would be no surprise if he receives more than just rotational repetitions as a rookie, and if he does well enough, he could position himself to give the Broncos an option if they don’t want to pay Chubb beyond the fifth-year option.
Bonitto gives the Broncos flexibility and depth at a premium position. That’s not bad for pick 64.
