Tag: Baron Browning

More trades could be on the way for Broncos

Zach Wilson? Greg Dulcich? Courtland Sutton??? ESPN suggests the Broncos might not be done making trades.

The Denver Broncos took action ahead of Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline by agreeing to trade pass rusher Baron Browning to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick.

That was the team’s first move, but it might not be the last.

Following the news of the Browning trade, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler took to Twitter/X and re-shared his trade deadline story from last week that outlined potential moves for the Broncos, who Fowler says “might not be done” after the Browning trade.

Last week, Fowler noted the possibility of a Browning trade (which has since happened) and he also mentioned quarterback Zach Wilson and tight end Greg Dulcich as potential trade candidates. Fowler also pointed out that teams have called out wide receiver Courtland Sutton in past years.

Additionally, Fowler wrote that “it wouldn’t be a shock” to see the Broncos attempt to trade for a pass-catching running back ahead of the deadline.

Stay tuned as the trade deadline is now just one day away. We will track any potential moves Denver makes on Broncos Wire.

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What the Cardinals are getting in new OLB Baron Browning

Broncos Wire’s Jon Heath gives us quick description of the player the Cardinals just acquired before the NFL trade deadline.

The Arizona Cardinals made a move ahead of the NFL trade deadline, reportedly acquiring edge defender Baron Browning from the Denver Broncos for a sixth-round draft pick.

Browning is a former third-round pick out of Ohio State and has 9.5 career sacks.

While he isn’t quite proven sack producer most fans would like to see the Cardinals acquire in a trade, Broncos Wire managing editor Jon Heath believes he has some potential.

Heath had this to say about Browning after the deal was reported.

Baron Browning certainly has the talent, he’s just struggled to stay on the field with the Broncos. He missed three games in each of his first two seasons, seven games last year and four games on injured reserve this fall. His 9.5 career sacks don’t jump off the page, but Browning is a starting-caliber edge defender. Denver moved on because they are loaded with depth at the position and Browning was scheduled to become a free agent in 2025. The Broncos weren’t going to re-sign Browning, so it made sense to get something for him now in a trade. A fresh start could help Browning jump start his production.

Browning’s two seasons of 4.5 and five sacks are more than any of the other outside linebackers have had in a season, except Julian Okwara’s five sacks in 2021.

Browning gives the Cardinals a young, talented player who should still be ascending, and they will have the opportunity to bring him back after this season.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Broncos’ updated order of NFL draft picks after Baron Browning trade

Following the Baron Browning trade, the Broncos now hold seven picks in the 2025 NFL draft.

After agreeing to trade pass rusher Baron Browning to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick on Monday, the Denver Broncos now hold seven picks in the 2025 NFL draft.

The Broncos have their own picks in the first four rounds for the first time since the Russell Wilson trade, and they now have three picks in the sixth round following the Browning trade.

Here’s a look at the team’s order of picks in next year’s NFL draft, with help from prosportstransactions.com.

Broncos order of picks in 2025 NFL draft

Denver does not hold a fifth-round pick after trading that pick and pass rusher Bradley Chubb to the Miami Dolphins in 2022 in exchange for running back Chase Edmonds and first- and fourth-round draft picks. (The Broncos later used that first-round pick to acquire coach Sean Payton in 2023.)

Denver also does not hold a seventh-round pick after trading that selection and tight end Albert Okwuegbunam to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023 in exchange for a sixth-round pick.

The 2025 NFL draft will be held in Green Bay from April 24-26.

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Twitter reacts to Broncos giving Jonathon Cooper an extension

Here’s how Twitter/X reacted when the Broncos gave Jonathon Cooper a four-year contract extension.

The Denver Broncos were busy over the last 72 hours.

The Broncos quietly gave pass rusher Jonathon Cooper a four-year, $60 million contract extension on Saturday. Two days later, Denver traded fellow edge defender Baron Browning to the Arizona Cardinals for a sixth-round draft pick.

Following the news of the Browning extension, here’s a sampling of how fans and pundits reacted to the deal on Twitter/X.

The NFL’s trade deadline is 2 p.m. MT on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

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Twitter reacts to Broncos trading Baron Browning to Cardinals

The Broncos traded pass rusher Baron Browning to the Cardinals. Here’s how Twitter/X reacted to the news.

The Denver Broncos agreed to trade pass rusher Baron Browning to the Arizona Cardinals on Monday in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick.

Here’s a sampling of how fans and pundits agreed to the news on Twitter/X.

Denver also gave a four-year, $60 million contract extension to outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper, shoring up the team’s long-term plan at the position. The NFL’s trade deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 2:00 p.m. MT.

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Cardinals make trade for edge rusher, but not a well-known one

The Cardinals have been seeking help in the trade market for their edge rush. They made a deal on Monday.

The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday afternoon at 2 p.m. Arizona time (4 p.m. ET). The Arizona Cardinals, who have been connected to a few edge rushers to aid with their pass rush, have made a move. However, it isn’t one of the more well-known players.

According to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero, the Cardinals are sending a sixth-round pick to the Denver Broncos for outside linebacker Baron Browning.

Browning is a 6-foot-3, 240-pound linebacker the Broncos drafted in the third round in 2021 out of Ohio State.

He has 9.5 career sacks with a career-high of five in 2022.

This season, he has only played 146 defensive snaps in five games, logging seven combined tackles and a tackle for loss.

Browning will be a free agent after the season.

He joins an outside linebacker room that includes Zaven Collins, Jesse Luketa, Julian Okwara, Victor Dimukeje and rookie Xavier Thomas.

BJ Ojulari and Dennis Gardeck are both on injured reserve with torn ACLs.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Broncos sign OLB Jonathon Cooper to 4-year contract extension

The Broncos have secured Jonathon Cooper’s services with a four-year contract extension.

The Denver Broncos signed outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper to a four-year contract extension over the weekend, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The four-year deal is worth $60 million and includes $33 million in guarantees, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. He’ll earn an average of $15 million per season.

The news broke shortly after the Broncos agreed to trade fellow pass rusher Baron Browning to the Arizona Cardinals on Monday.

Browning and Cooper were teammates at Ohio State and they were both picked by Denver in the 2021 NFL draft — Browning in the third round and Cooper in the seventh round.

Browning struggled with injuries during his time with the Broncos and totaled 9.5 sacks in 43 career games, with no sacks this season. Cooper exceeded expectations and recorded 18.5 sacks in 56 games, including 5.5 sacks through nine starts this season.

With both players scheduled to become free agents in 2025, it’s no surprise that Denver opted to keep Cooper. He’s been healthier and more productive than his counterpart since they entered the league four years ago.

Browning will get a fresh start in Arizona and the Broncos will move forward with Cooper, Nik Bonitto, Jonah Elliss and Dondrea Tillman. Drew Sanders could also return from the physically unable to perform list later this season.

Denver still has plenty of depth at the position, and the team’s top pass rusher is now locked up through the 2028 season.

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Broncos agree to trade OLB Baron Browning to Cardinals

The Broncos are trading pass rusher Baron Browning to the Cardinals.

The Denver Broncos have agreed to trade edge defender Baron Browning to the Arizona Cardinals, according to a report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Denver will receive a sixth-round draft pick from Arizona.

Browning (6-3, 240 pounds) was originally picked by the Broncos in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft out of Ohio State. Browning initially played as an inside linebacker before moving to outside linebacker in his second season.

He has started 28 games for Denver over the last three and a half seasons, totaling 9.5 sacks. Browning recorded 5.0 sacks in 14 games in 2022 and 4.5 sacks in 10 games in 2023.

The 25-year-old pass rusher is a talented player, but he has struggled to stay on the field due to various injuries. He missed three games in each of his first two seasons, seven games last year and four games on injured reserve this fall.

The Broncos have plenty of depth at pass rusher with Jonathon Cooper, Nik Bonitto, Jonah Elliss and Dondrea Tillman. Browning is also scheduled to become a free agent in 2025. Those factors combined with Browning’s injury history made him an expendable player for Denver.

Browning will now get a fresh start with the Cardinals and the Broncos will move forward with Cooper and Bonitto continuing to serve as their top two edge defenders.

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8 players Broncos could trade away before NFL trade deadline

Should the Broncos consider trading any of these players before the NFL’s deadline?

The NFL trade deadline (Nov. 5) is less than a week away and with multiple trades already completed, there have been some rumblings that the Denver Broncos could get involved in the action.

We have been focused on several outside players the Broncos could bring in, but today we’re turning our attention to players that Denver could ship out.

We’ve put together a quick list of eight players the Broncos could entertain trading away before the deadline.

Of note, NFL Network has reported that teams could call about pass rusher Jonathon Cooper, but the Broncos seem very unlikely to trade him, so we did not include Cooper on our list.

Players Broncos could trade before deadline

1. RB Javonte Williams: He is the team’s best blocking back and Audric Estime has had some struggles with fumbles, so Denver might not be ready to move on from Williams just yet. He’s set to become a free agent next year, though, so the Broncos could perhaps send him to a team like the Cowboys in exchange for a draft pick.

2. OT Mike McGlinchey: His contract could complicate a potential trade, but McGlinchey has suddenly become expendable following the emergency of Alex Palczewski. Denver might prefer to make this kind of move during the offseason, though.

3. DL D.J. Jones: With Zach Allen and John Franklin-Myers playing so well and Malcolm Roach rotating in, the Broncos might thinking about trading Jones before he hits free agency in 2025.

4. WR Courtland Sutton: He is Bo Nix’s favorite target, but Denver has received plenty of interest in Sutton over the last two seasons. We’ll see if teams call the Broncos about Sutton again before this year’s deadline.

5. CB Damarri Mathis: Pat Surtain, Riley Moss and Ja’Quan McMillian serve as the team’s top three cornerbacks with Levi Wallace providing depth behind them. Tremon Smith is a special teams ace and Kris Abrams-Draine is a fifth-round draft pick who isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. That could leave Mathis as the odd man out.

6. QB Zach Wilson: The Broncos have repeatedly said that they believe Wilson will become a starter again in the NFL. In order for that to happen, Wilson might need a fresh start somewhere else.

7. QB Jarrett Stidham: Denver obviously wouldn’t trade both Wilson and Stidham, but they could certainly move one of them. Broncos coach Sean Payton seemed to hint that week that at least one team has called about the availability of Denver’s backup quarterbacks.

8. OLB Baron Browning: He is probably the Broncos’ most realistic trade candidate this year. Nik Bonitto (6.0) and Cooper (5.5) lead the team in sacks this fall and youngsters Jonah Elliss (2.0) and Dondrea Tillman (2.0) have also made their mark as rotational pass rushers. Denver has a surplus of pass rushers and Browning is scheduled to hit free agency next spring.

If the team makes any trades in the coming days, we will track all of the potential moves on Broncos Wire.

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Baron Browning comments on Broncos trade rumors

“I don’t want to leave but some things are out of my control,” Broncos OLB Baron Browning said when asked about trade rumors.

The Denver Broncos have a deep pass-rush rotation and outside linebacker Baron Browning might be viewed as an expendable asset leading up to the NFL’s trade deadline (Nov. 5).

Over the weekend, NFL Network reported that Browning “could be available” on the trade block. Following a 28-14 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, Browning was asked about the trade speculation.

“I can only control what I can control,’’ Browning said, via KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. “I can’t control what happens in the future, I have to stay in the moment. I do what I can to help this team win games. I would like to stay here. I don’t want to leave but some things are out of my control.”

Browning lost his starting job to Nik Bonitto while on injured reserve. Bonitto (6.0) leads the team in sacks this fall and Jonathon Cooper (5.5) is not far behind. Jonah Elliss (2.0) and Dondrea Tillman (2.0) have also made their mark as rotational pass rushers.

Browning, a third-round pick in 2021, is still seeking his first sack of the season.

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