It’s hard to assess certain positions — such as offensive linemen and defensive linemen — during the spring when there’s no contact at NFL practices.
For the Denver Broncos, outside linebackers who line up the edge are hard to evaluate early in the offseason as well. For new head coach Sean Payton, he’s not quite ready to give a full evaluation of pass rusher Jonathon Cooper, but he does expect the edge defender to have an important role in 2023.
“It’s difficult because those are the groups that aren’t in pads, but you certainly see the get off, the explosion and the experience,” Payton said on June 14 when asked about his impressions of Cooper this spring.
“I think when we get into training camp, you then get a better feel. I’ll get a better feel for a lot of these players that I still don’t know well. I know them now and I know their names, but I’ve just seen it so many times when the pads come on, and you get a completely different perspective from a certain running back or a certain someone who stands out. It becomes a little clearer, but he’s important to what we’re doing.”
Cooper (6-4, 257 pounds) was drafted by the Broncos in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL draft out of Ohio State. Initially expected to play primarily on special teams, Cooper ended up starting five games in his rookie season as an injury fill-in. Cooper stepped up again last year as a nine-game fill-in starter.
Following the arrival of Frank Clark, Cooper could be demoted on the depth chart from third-string pass rusher to fourth-string OLB behind Randy Gregory, Baron Browning and Clark. Denver plans to utilize waves of pass rush rotations this fall, though, so there will be plenty of snaps for Cooper.
After totaling 14 quarterback hits and 4.5 sacks through his first two seasons (30 games) in the NFL, Cooper will aim to impress Payton when the pads come on this summer. Even if he doesn’t win a regular starting role, Cooper could prove to be a key rotational pass rusher under Payton this season.
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