ENGLEWOOD — Jonah Elliss stays ready for his turn to chase down the opposing quarterback. 

The Broncos’ rotational edge rusher played on 23 of 57 total defensive snaps in the season-opening win against the Titans. That’s just 40 percent. He made the most of his opportunities, though, with arguably the biggest play of the game. 

In the fourth quarter, with Denver leading 13-12, a muffed punt return by wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. gave the Titans possession at Denver’s 22-yard line. Tennessee rookie quarterback Cam Ward dropped back to pass on second down. That’s when Elliss made his move. 

The second-year outside linebacker beat Titans right tackle Olisaemeka Udoh with an inside move. Ward retreated straight backward from the pressure with Elliss in hot pursuit. A big mistake. Elliss chased Ward from behind and dragged him down for a 16-yard sack. One play later, defensive end Zach Allen followed it up with an 11-yard sack. The Titans were forced to punt.  

“It felt great,” Elliss told The Denver Gazette after practice on Thursday at Broncos Park. “To change the momentum of the game like that with me and Zach getting back-to-back sacks is huge for the team.” 

It seems the third-round draft pick from Utah has continued his NFL ascension in Year 2 with the Broncos. Elliss is healthy after offseason shoulder surgery. His growth was noted by defensive coordinator Vance Joseph in training camp. 

“He’s grown a lot,” Joseph said. “He’s gotten bigger and stronger in the run game. That’s helped his overall game, but he’s always been a guy who can rush. He’s smart, and he can drop into coverage. He’s my ‘X’ backer in certain packages, but it’s been fun to watch him grow as an overall player, run game, pass game, rushing, and dropping.” 

The Broncos have highly paid and highly productive starters at outside linebacker in Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper. So, how does Elliss know when it’s his turn to shine? 

“It’s just whenever Nik and Coop get a little bit tired,” Elliss told The Denver Gazette. “You can see when they’re out there and they rush two plays in a row … and the offense is slow getting on the next ball. It’s about getting fresh legs in there. Then go play.” 

The Broncos (1-0) travel to face the Colts (1-0) after Indianapolis made history in its 33-8 season-opening victory over Miami. The Colts became the first team since 1977 to score on every possession of the game. Denver’s defense is ready to make a stop. 

“It’s a good team. You can tell that they’ve figured it out. They’ve got a really solid O-line,” Elliss said. “It’s going to be a challenge, but we’re going to play our game.”