The first time Nik Bonitto said it, Rich Pruett scoffed. At least, mentally. Get the hell outta here.<\/p>\n
They were training together, in the winter of 2024, the Broncos outside linebacker spending another offseason at Exos Sports Performance in Arizona. Bonitto readied for a lift. Pruett, Exos\u2019 director of performance, offered some feedback. Bonitto looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cCoach, you don\u2019t have to worry about me,\u201d Bonitto told him. \u201cI\u2019m a bloodhound.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was like, \u2018Got it, let\u2019s go,’\u201d Pruett recalled. \u201c\u2018Let\u2019s roll with that.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I\u2019ve never lived that down. And from here on out, man, Bonitto is \u2018The Bloodhound.’\u201d<\/p>\n
A year later, the term has become a permanent part of Bonitto\u2019s vocabulary, across a rapid ascension as one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL.\u00a0Bloodhound. An ancient breed, born to hunt, to sniff out blood and pounce. It wriggles its way into Bonitto\u2019s texts with Pruett \u2014 messages punctuated with a proclamation of #bloodhound.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like an everyday deal now,\u201d Pruett said. \u201cEven, like, we had our performance interns \u2026 they might be talking, and you\u2019d just hear, \u2018Bloodhound!\u2019 out in the background.\u201d<\/p>\n
And Bonitto brought the \u201cbloodhound mentality,\u201d as Pruett put it, immediately after a career-best 2024 season wrapped. He was in Orlando for the Pro Bowl on Saturday, Feb. 1. Two weeks later, he was back in Arizona for four-day-a-week workouts.<\/p>\n
The 25-year-old stands at an inflection point in his NFL future, a payday dangling as his rookie contract expires. Pruett, for one, said Bonitto wasn\u2019t doing anything special in preparation for a contract year. But in a fairly consistent offseason schedule \u2014 working with Bonitto since he came out of Oklahoma in 2022 \u2014 Pruett moved up Bonitto\u2019s speed-training earlier in the schedule, trying to push an outside linebacker he called \u201cthe ultimate competitor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were tracking times on the fields a little bit earlier this year to make sure that we were on track, to make sure he was getting out to voluntary workouts and OTAs and being in the best possible situation to be successful,\u201d Pruett said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a big year for him,\u201d the trainer continued later, \u201cand that\u2019s what we\u2019ve been talking about all offseason.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beyond The Bloodhound, a wide range of Broncos are\u00a0bringing something to prove as the club\u2019s voluntary OTAs have kicked off this week<\/a>. As reporters get their first look at Denver\u2019s 2025 roster at Thursday\u2019s open practice, here are four things The Denver Post will be watching for across the next couple weeks of OTAs.<\/p>\n Bo comes home: The Crown Prince of Denver has been\u00a0everywhere\u00a0this offseason. He banged on the glass at Avalanche games. He hosted a youth football camp at Valor Christian<\/a>. He threw out the first pitch at Coors Field on Friday. He even went to Italy<\/a>.<\/p>\n He\u2019s been working plenty mechanically behind the scenes, too. But the breaks from football might be a blessing. Nix hasn\u2019t had a prolonged period of rest since the offseason before his senior year at Oregon. Thursday will give a glimpse at a refreshed Nix heading into an all-important sophomore season at the wheel in Denver.<\/p>\n Will there be any contract-influenced absences?: A couple of sack artists around the league \u2014 the Cowboys\u2019 Micah Parsons and the Bengals\u2019 Trey Hendrickson \u2014 have skipped out on OTAs amid increasingly ugly contract disputes with their franchises. Any such situation seems highly unlikely in Denver, though.<\/p>\n Veteran receiver Courtland Sutton missed the Broncos\u2019 offseason activities last year amid a contract-negotiation stalemate. He now heads into the final year of a four-year deal, but Sean Payton said at the owners\u2019 meetings in Florida<\/a> that Sutton was planning to attend OTAs. Bonitto<\/a> and John Franklin-Myers, meanwhile,<\/a> have both dropped some not-so-subtle hints calling for negotiations on Twitter this offseason. But the Broncos have been clear about the timeline on their overall extension plans, and plenty of time remains until training camp.<\/p>\n What receivers separate themselves?: Payton has been enthusiastic about the progress of Denver\u2019s young wide-receiver corps<\/a>. But the Broncos, still, are light on both experience and proven production behind Sutton. The 23-year-old Marvin Mims Jr. came on hot down the stretch last year. Troy Franklin, 22, showed flashes in a largely spotty rookie year. Devaughn Vele, 27, is older, but played his first year in the NFL in 2024. And 22-year-old rookie Pat Bryant has the self-confidence of a 10-year vet<\/a>. Someone in the room likely needs to step up between now and August as a true WR2 behind Sutton.<\/p>\n Who takes advantage of ILB reps?: Free-agent signee Dre Greenlaw is still around the Broncos\u2019 facility, sources told The Post, but isn\u2019t participating in OTAs while rehabbing a quad injury<\/a> he sustained in April. Returning linebacker Alex Singleton was cryptically bullish a couple of weeks back<\/a> on his rehab from an ACL tear, but he may be a limited participant. That could leave the Broncos without their starting linebacker duo for stretches of practice, which would throw the door open for a returner or newcomer to impress.<\/p>\n