Going into the summer, the Denver Broncos have three starting-caliber outside linebackers in Baron Browning, Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper and a promising rookie in third-round pick Jonah Elliss.
Denver also has Ronnie Perkins returning and Dondrea Tillman joining from the UFL, among others. Eventually, Drew Sanders (Achilles) will return as well.
“I think we have a very talented room, probably one of the more talented rooms I’ve been in since I’ve been here,” Browning said on June 11. “I think the task for us is just to continue to work hard and push one another. We have a lot of guys in our room that can be starters in this league, so there’s not a lot of room for error in our room.
“We have to be on point every day and push one another to be our best. I’m embracing it, and I think all of the guys in the room are embracing it. I feel like we have a lot of veterans in our room between me, ‘Coop’ and even Nik, so we’re just trying to push one another and keep the standard upheld that’s been upheld in our room before we even got here.”
The Broncos totaled 42 sacks last season, 11th-fewest in the league. Cooper led the team with 8.5 sacks, followed by Bonitto (eight), Zach Allen (five) and Browning (4.5 in 10 games). If Denver’s defense is going to take a step forward in 2024, they’ll need more from their pass rush.
The talent is there, now the production needs to follow.
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