PHX Reporter

The Arizona Cardinals have made a strategic move by acquiring outside linebacker Baron Browning from the Denver Broncos. The trade, which took place on Monday, is pending a physical examination. In exchange for Browning, the Cardinals offered a sixth-round draft pick. Browning was originally selected in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Ohio State and has accumulated 9.5 career sacks.

Browning began this season as a starter for the Broncos but suffered a left foot injury in Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, resulting in his placement on Injured Reserve. Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon expressed his admiration for Browning's character and versatility, noting that he "really liked the character and the seriousness of the guy."

To accommodate Browning on their roster, the Cardinals released cornerback Darren Hall on Monday, as confirmed by the NFL's official transactions list.

Gannon highlighted that Browning initially played inside linebacker when drafted by Denver but transitioned to an outside role under head coach Sean Payton last season. At 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, Browning recorded 4.5 sacks over ten games with nine starts in 2023 and five sacks across fourteen games in 2022. This season, he appeared in five games without recording a sack and will become a free agent after this season.

Cardinals General Manager Monti Ossenfort emphasized that they are open to exploring opportunities that could benefit the team: "If there's an opportunity that we want to pursue, we're going to go investigate that as well."

Paris Johnson Jr., who played alongside Browning at Ohio State during the Covid-affected 2020 season, praised him as "an awesome teammate" and commended his explosive play style.

In other news related to player status updates, Coach Gannon mentioned there were no serious injuries from their recent game against the Chicago Bears and provided no further details regarding Darius Robinson's return.