Baron Browning started nine games at inside linebacker as a rookie last season out of necessity after the team lost a pair of starters to season-ending injuries.
To a fan’s eye, it seemed that Browning played relatively well, making him a presumed starting ILB candidate for 2022. When the Broncos opted to not select any ILBs in the draft, that made it seem even more certain that Browning would start at ILB this season.
Denver’s coaching staff had another plans.
The Broncos moved Browning to outside linebacker despite having excellent depth on the edge. That looked like a smart decision in the team’s first preseason game as Browning dominated at OLB.
“After evaluating it, it just looked like he wasn’t playing as fast [at ILB] as his potential was,” coach Nathaniel Hackett said Monday. “We wanted to have the ability to put him on the line to really get after the passer because when he did pressure from that inside linebacker spot, there was a lot of good stuff. So why not just let him get a few if he can do that continuously?”
In his first (preseason) game playing on the edge, Browning recorded a sack, a tackle behind the line of scrimmage and a pass breakup. It became clear to fans that he’s most comfortable — and most productive — at OLB.
“Now that we have put him there, he has really owned it,” Hackett said. “He had a couple of moves …. to actually see it on tape, it was spectacular. He really had some great moves, some great counter moves. He was around the quarterback the whole day, so you can see he’s really owning that and really becoming a lot better.”
Browning probably won’t start at OLB this season, but he should get plenty of rotational snaps behind projected starters Randy Gregory and Bradley Chubb. With a deep pass rush rotation, Denver’s defense will aim to make life miserable for opposing quarterbacks this fall.
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