ENGLEWOOD, Colo — It wasn’t so much Jonathon Cooper acted like he had been there before.
It was that it took him a moment to realize he was there.
Cooper was in the end zone after picking up a Nik Bonitto forced fumble and returning it 35 yards for a game-tying touchdown roughly halfway through the fourth quarter of the Broncos’ 31-28 comeback victory against the Chicago Bears. Cooper’s momentum from outracing Bears quarterback Justin Fields halted at the back of the Soldier Field end zone. Cooper stopped, turned around, jumped into the arms of Bonitto, dropped the football and ran away from the crowd.
Didn’t even bother to pick up the football as a souvenir from what was his first touchdown since his junior year in high school.
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“My mind went blank,’’ Cooper said, smiling during his interview with 9NEWS for the Broncos Huddle. “I didn’t even know what happened, honestly. I turned around, I saw my guy Nik Bonitto right there, jumped in the air, gave him a hug. It took a minute with everybody coming over to me for me to realize, I just scored a touchdown!”
Until the Coop scoop and score, Fields was getting the better of Cooper’s Denver defense. Entering the fourth quarter, Fields was 23 of 24 for 285 yards, 4 touchdowns, no interceptions and a perfect 158.3 passer rating. Fields was sacked once by Cooper late in the first half and a couple plays later, as the refs were sorting out a penalty, the former Ohio State teammates shared a bro hug, a quick conversation and a smile.
As Buckeye teammates and leaders, Fields and Cooper helped Ohio State reach the College Football Playoff each of their final two seasons of 2019-20.
“Just the fact we were out there together was awesome,’’ Cooper said. “That was the first time playing against each other like that. Just told him I love him. Told him he’s doing a great job. And we talked again after the game. It was really cool to see him out there without a red jersey where I can’t hit him. This time I could actually tackle him. It was pretty cool.”
From the edge, Cooper and Bonitto harassed Fields into a poor fourth quarter where he went 5 of 11 for 50 yards while committing a game-tying turnover on a fumble, a costly intentional grounding penalty, and a game-ending interception as the Broncos rallied from down, 28-7 to stun the Bears.
“At halftime I feel like there was a good conversation piece,’’ Cooper said. “Some of our leaders stepped up, Kareem Jackson, Justin Simmons. Those guys who we needed to hear from and they really got on our defense. Obviously, the film we put out for those last 6 quarters wasn’t us. That wasn’t true to us. We had to get on track and get on these details and play with that confidence and that swagger that we know that we have.
“I give credit to guys like Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson that really switched our mindset around in order to get this thing going.”
The development of Cooper and Bonitto on the edge and the return from injury by Frank Clark and Baron Browning all contributed to the Broncos moving on from veteran outside linebacker Randy Gregory.
"Just sad,'' Cooper said when asked about Gregory's departure. "Obviously, this is part of the business and part of the game in the NFL but you always hate to see a guy go like that.
"Randy Gregory is a fantastic player and even better teammate to me. So to see a guy like that go after he's been with us... it just sucks."
Today against the New York Jets, there will be three parts to Cooper’s uniform that will be unique. One, is his number, zero. Cooper wore No. 53 his first two seasons with the Broncos – the same number another Ohio State legend, Randy Gradishar, wore for all but his first two years with the Broncos. Gradishar has long been a member of the Broncos’ Ring of Fame and in a few months is certain to be elected as a “senior” nominated player for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
But while No. 53 is special in Broncos lore, the “Block O” jersey became a distinguished badge of honor for Cooper at Ohio State and when the NFL allowed defensive players to wear their college numbers and No. 0, Cooper made the switch.
“Funny thing is when it comes to 53, I was thinking about keeping it,’’ Cooper said. “Because I was like, man, Randy Gradishar, he’s a beast now. The reason why I switched over permanently was because of my mom. My mom told me I should do it (switch to No. 0) for sure. So I was like all right, I can’t argue with Mom too much.
“But Randy, just seeing him here and seeing the tape, I mean he’s a beast, he’s a monster. There’s a reason why he’s part of the Hall of Fame. But I’m sorry I can’t carry on that 53 tradition.”
There other two uniform distinctions will be the Broncos’ all-orange Color Rush uniforms, which have been around for a game or two each season since 2018, and their alternate white helmets, which the team will wear for the first time Sunday against the Jets. The Broncos practiced in their white helmets this week.
“The players like it,’’ Cooper said. “I like it a lot. It’s cool. I don’t think I’ve ever wore an all-white helmet. I think the whole entire Color Rush with the white helmet is going to add a different flair out there on the field. It just adds to our confidence and seeing everybody in that orange… I don’t know, something about those Color Rush jerseys get me going.’’
Jets quarterback Zach Wilson is on notice.
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