ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper is primarily focused on what's next.
The next sack. The next opportunity to come through for his teammates. The next chance to raise his personal standard of play.
"I don't reflect too much," said Cooper, days after signing a four-year contract extension. "I only like to move forward, because I feel like this is a starting point for me. I know I'm only going to grow from this."
And yet, Cooper acknowledged the uncertainty that existed a little over three years ago, as he went through the pre-draft process with a rare heart condition. Teams knew of Cooper's condition, and the Ohio State product slipped to the seventh round.
The condition did more than just impact his draft stock; after Cooper was drafted, he underwent three separate surgical procedures over the course of eight hours.
"It was scary at some point," Cooper said in 2021. "It was pretty rare what was going on, and the doctors had a hard time getting in and taking care of it. There was even some talks of a pacemaker at some point. Thanks to God I'm here. My family supported me. The doctors did an amazing job, and I'm just blessed to be out here. I don't take a second for granted."
A pacemaker would have forced Cooper to medically retire from the game before his professional career began.
Cooper, though, was able to return to the field during training camp of his rookie season. First, he made the Broncos' roster. Next, he pushed his way into the starting lineup. And he hasn't stopped making strides since.
Midway through his fourth season, Cooper is one of the Broncos' emotional leaders on defense — and his play is just as good. Cooper ranks second on the team with 5.5 sacks and is on pace for the first double-digit sack season of his career. With another 1.5 sacks, he will be the first seventh-round pick since 2010 to post at least 20 sacks in his first four years.
He is also one of six defenders since the start of 2023 to record at least 100 tackles and 14 sacks.
On Wednesday, Cooper chuckled when asked if he could have anticipated the last several years would play out in this manner.
"I don't know, honestly," Cooper said Wednesday. "I always believed in myself, and my family helped me with that so much, just always believing in me, always telling me what I'm capable of and helping me along. Shout-out to my mom for everything that she's done for me and getting me to this point."
And while Cooper acknowledged his pre-draft journey was a "tough process" and that he likely "would've went a little bit higher" without his condition, he believes he ended up in the right spot.
"Honestly, it all worked out the way it was supposed to," Cooper said. "I couldn't have asked for a better opportunity than to come here and to get that call from [General Manager] George [Paton]. It was just awesome. Even just looking back at that, it all worked out the way it was supposed to. [I'm] really not upset or mad about it, but [I] just know it's time to get back to work."
As Cooper looks ahead, he said his goal is to be dominant and match "the standard that was set here" by players like Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware and Bradley Chubb. Individually, he said he aims to earn Pro Bowl and All-Pro nods, and he said he's driven by the trust and faith the Broncos have put in him.
"I know I can be better and play better," Cooper said. "I just feel like that's where my mindset is. How can I even exceed this? How can I show my appreciation out there on that field. The fact that they believe in me and my teammates, I don't ever want to let them down. I know that moving forward, I definitely … [am] going to keep working, and [I'm] just happy that they believe in me."
