Pelissero: NFL reinstates Jonathon Cooper

Outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper is also active. Coleman hasn’t played since Week 2, when he turned 10 carries into 39 yards and a score. The Broncos were banged up at running back that week. They have since established a stable two-man rotation with JK Dobbins operating between the tackles and RJ Harvey handling passing downs. Coleman will likely take a backseat to those two this week.

Cooper, who is facing felony assault charges and domestic violence and harassment charges, appeared in court on Monday and is currently on the commissioner’s exempt list. With his pretrial set for February 19th and his new trial date set for March 2nd, it’s possible Cooper could be removed from the exempt list now that his trial is set for after the season. Cooper has not played a game for the Broncos this season.

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 is facing six different charges stemming from domestic violence and harassment cases. He was excused from minicamp as a result, but returns to training camp as a full practice participant. Head coach Sean Payton said the Broncos have met with Cooper and the team is proceeding according to league protocol. Cooper is slated to have an arraignment hearing at the end of August. The NFL will conduct its investigation as the legal process plays out. In the meantime, Cooper is on the practice field with the Broncos.

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