For a moment, Jonah Elliss hoped for the best.
Physics suggested otherwise.
In the first quarter of Denver’s playoff loss to Buffalo in January, the Broncos’ rookie outside linebacker was tasked with setting the edge on a Bills third-and-3.
Buffalo left tackle Dion Dawkins pulled around to the right side of Buffalo’s formation, the 6-foot-5, 320-pounder building a head of steam.
Elliss braced for impact, lowering his shoulder in a way that caused it to absorb most of the crushing impact.
He grabbed at his right shoulder immediately and went to the sideline, hoping for the pain to subside. Elliss dealt with stingers in college, so he thought perhaps he had another. The pain would subside quickly and he could get back on the field to continue what had been a promising, productive first professional season.
“Then it didn’t go away,” Elliss told The Post last week, “so we went to the tent and checked it out and figured out it was a little more than just a stinger.”
The 2024 third-round pick out of Utah had fractured his scapula, “and it cracked into my shoulder,” Elliss said. It not only knocked him out of the 31-7 Broncos loss but also required surgery and put a considerable rehabilitation process on his offseason calendar.
Elliss stayed in Colorado for most of the ensuing months and is back on the field now for OTAs, albeit in a somewhat limited capacity.
Elliss said he’s “hoping to get cleared soon. Still have a little bit of stuff we need to work on.”
Despite still having work to do on that front, this offseason program is entirely different for the 22-year-old in good ways, too.
He’s coming off a productive rookie season in which he showed he was capable of playing right away in a talented Broncos edge group.
Elliss played in all 17 regular-season games and finished the season with 454 defensive snaps (38%) and 257 more (54%) on special teams. He held up fine against the run and showed pass-rush ability. Elliss finished with five sacks (third-most among rookies), 24 pressures and a 10.8% pressure rate.
“You’re watching the same exact thing last year, it’s the same plays we’re installing and you think back it’s like, when I was out there doing that, I was freaking out,” Elliss said. “I didn’t know what I was doing and I was still learning everything. Now you already know it, you’ve already done it and it’s installed in your head. It’s so much more relaxing and I feel so much more comfortable.”
Elliss showed the ability to rush the passer despite not always being as explosive off the ball as he hopes to be in the future. After the season, Denver’s defensive coaches tasked Elliss with getting better starts when the ball is snapped.
According to Next Gen Stats, Broncos OLB Nik Bonitto averaged .76 seconds on his get-off — the time it takes for a defender to cross the line of scrimmage on pass rushes. Jonathon Cooper was right behind at .77. Elliss checked in at .85.
“My get-off is something that, I think it was a mix of me thinking too much and then just not getting off the ball,” Elliss said. “It’s something I’ve really been focusing on. My initial step and my get-off. That’s something that coaches have told me — I see it too when I sit down and watch film. It’s something I need to work on and I feel like when I really start getting off the ball is when I really become a threat off the edge.”
Given his rookie-year production, Elliss figures if he can improve in that area, along with continuing to develop strength and see more game reps, there’s plenty of room to grow.
“The success I had, I’m grateful for it but I’m shooting higher,” he said. “I feel like the get-off and really working my rush, working the arc will really help me keep improving my game.”
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