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Since the beginning of the season, the Denver Broncos have been without a key pass rusher, Jonathon Cooper, a 2021 seventh-round draft selection. Cooper was placed on the Commissioner's Exempt List following two arrests within a single week on domestic violence allegations.
After entering a not guilty plea to a felony charge of second-degree assault by strangulation involving his former girlfriend during an August arraignment, Cooper is now scheduled for a motions hearing on Monday, October 12 at 3 p.m. at Douglas County Court. The actual trial will not be scheduled until mid-November.
In addition to the felony charge, Cooper faces three misdemeanor charges, two of which are separate counts of violating a protection order stemming from his first arrest on June 4 and second arrest on June 11, both related to incidents with his then-partner.
Unless an unforeseen resolution emerges from the motions hearing, Cooper is expected to remain sidelined until the trial concludes, making a return to the team unlikely in the near future.
In his absence, third-year pro Jacob Elliss and Dondrea Tillman have been filling in. However, the loss of Cooper has significantly impacted the pass rush: last season, the Broncos led the league with four sacks per game, but now they average just two per game, ranking tied for 16th in the NFL.
With at least another month without their second-best edge rusher, Denver must find alternative ways to pressure the quarterback in the coming weeks to remain competitive with the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West.
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Originally reported by yahoo.