Jonathon Cooper (off-field) practicing in camp

Cooper is facing felony assault charges in addition to other chargers including domestic violence and harassment. The 28-year-old was slated to be Denver’s starting outside linebacker opposite Nik Bonitto, but now they’ll have to look at depth options while waiting for the commissioner to clear Cooper.

Cooper was arrested for six different charges over the last few weeks, including second-degree assault and domestic violence. It’s certainly a situation that could lead to an NFL suspension at some point once all due diligence is taken care of. Cooper’s status appears to be uncertain going forward.

A week after being arrested for domestic violence and criminal mischief, Cooper again finds himself in trouble. This time, the Broncos’ pass rusher is being charged with misdemeanor harassment, violating a protective order, and a felony charge of second-degree assault has been added to his list of charges from last week. According to the Denver Post, the felony charge comes after forensic evidence revealed Cooper’s former girlfriend had been strangled, while his most recent arrest comes after Cooper reportedly showed up to her house on Thursday and knocked on her door for “5-10" minutes and also attempted to contact her multiple times over the phone. He remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in court later today. Earlier this week, Cooper pled not guilty to the charges that stemmed from his first arrest and had a jury trial date set for July 22nd. In a statement released by the Broncos, the team said they are “disappointed to learn of Jonathon Cooper’s arrest on Thursday and continue to review the matter.”

Cooper was arrested last week and charged with two counts of domestic violence and one count of criminal mischief. The 28-year-old linebacker now has a jury trial set for July 22nd, which could cut into the beginning of training camp. Whether Cooper faces any disciplinary action from the league will likely be determined once his case is settled, but he could be in line for a suspension at some point in 2026 or 2027. Cooper totaled 50 tackles, eight TFLs, and eight sacks for the Broncos last season.

Cooper was arrested on Thursday night and booked into a Douglas County jail on Friday. Few details are known about his arrest outside of the charges, but the veteran pass-rusher is reportedly scheduled to go before a judge on Friday with another hearing scheduled for Monday, per an article put out by TMZ. Cooper totaled eight sacks for the Broncos last season and is in the second year of a four-year extension he signed in 2024.

Cooper’s deal includes $33 million in guaranteed money, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Cooper was a seventh-round pick of the Broncos back in 2021 and has carved out a nice career for himself thus far. He’s totaled 18.5 sacks in 56 career games and is sitting on 5.5 sacks through his first nine games of this season. He’s on pace to surpass last season’s 8.5 sack total — which set a new career high, and has been an instrumental piece of Sean Payton’s defense since Payton arrived in the Mile High City in 2023. Now secured through the 2028 season, Cooper will remain a key piece of the defense for years to come.

Turner has struggled with the knee injury dating back to camp and still isn’t ready to set foot on the field against the 49ers. Cameron Fleming will protect the blindside for Russell Wilson against San Francisco’s pass rush. Also inactive for the Broncos are: WR Jalen Virgil, WR Tyrie Cleveland (hamstring), CB Darius Phillips (hamstring), S Delarrin Turner-Yell, OLB Jonathon Cooper (hamstring), and DL Eyioma Uwazurike

Cooper will have a “minimally invasive procedure” to deal with an irregular heartbeat. The condition may have led to Cooper falling until the final round of the draft. Cooper expects to only miss a few weeks and be ready for training camp.

Born and bred into an Ohio State family, Cooper (6’2/253) grew up in the Columbus area and realized his boyhood dream of playing for the Buckeyes. A five-star prospect who was rated as the third best weakside defensive end from the 2016 prep class according to 247Sports, he was crowned as the Ohio Defensive Player of the Year as a high school senior. A locker room leader and program tone-setter, Cooper was named a two-time team captain. Sat out the remainder of his 2019 season after suffering a high-ankle injury that cost him 10 games so he could preserve his redshirt, return to school in 2020 to boost his draft profile and finish his OSU career on a high note. That’s just what he did, as Cooper achieved All-Big Ten status for a second time while registering 24 tackles, 3.5 sacks, a 21 percent pass rush win rate and a crisp 90.5 pass rush grade on the year. He brings heavy hands and a tireless motor to his approach, which helps him to convert his speed into power. Not a threat to corner on tackles on the edge due to his tight frame and failed to record a single non-sack TFL in eight 2020 contests. He tested pretty well, throwing up 28 bench reps (90th percentile), a 4.71 40-yard dash (86th) and a 7.02 second 3-cone (90th). He lacks the requisite length to be a true every down threat in the NFL and would likely be destined for a reserve, passing down 4-3 defensive end role if he can stick.

Cooper (6'4/257) has only appeared in three games this season, meaning that he can only play in one more if this season of eligibility is to be preserved. The senior defensive end has been dealing with undisclosed health issues for much of this season, and for that reason Day wants to redshirt Cooper with an eye towards 2020. “He deserves to play a full senior year, and I know he wants to,” Day said on Tuesday. And with Chase Young expected to be a top-5 pick in next spring’s draft, bringing a healthy Cooper back would help fill that void next season.