ENGLEWOOD, Colo — Baron Browning was a senior at Ohio State, hanging out in the players’ cafeteria, when he looked out the window and watched this incoming freshman kid named C.J. Stroud throw the ball around.
“I remember when he first came in before I got a chance to know him,’’ Browning, a third-year Broncos outside linebacker, said Thursday as he sat at his locker. “And in our eating area, looking in indoor and I don’t remember who the receiver was he was throwing to, but I was like, ‘Damn, who is that?’ He was just throwing dime after dime after dime. He was special.
“Move however many years later, and he’s playing great ball for the Texans now.”
Stroud and Browning practice but never played together at Ohio State. Stroud redshirted his freshman season of 2020, which was the final season for Browning and fellow Ohio State and Bronco teammate Jonathon Cooper. Stroud started the 2021 and 2022 seasons, then became the No. 2 overall draft pick of the Houston Texans in late April.
A few of those all-day football analysts are saying Stroud might be the best rookie quarterback they’ve seen since, well, Dak Prescott in 2016. Prescott had 23 touchdown passes against just 4 interceptions for a 104.9 passer rating as a Cowboys rookie. Stroud is throwing more than Prescott did – he’s already compiled 3,266 passing yards through just 11 games – and has 19 touchdown passes against 5 interceptions with three coming two weeks ago in a win against Arizona.
“I’m not surprised at all,’’ Browning said.
Browning is doing Ohio State proud himself. After missing the first six games to recover from offseason knee surgery, he has 3.0 sacks and 13 tackles in five games. The Broncos were 1-5 without Browning; 5-0 with him. His hit on Cleveland quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson last Sunday drew a late flag from the officials and considerable discussion early in the week from the local media, but no second-guessing.
“I don’t have any more thoughts on it,’’ Browning said. “I knew I hit him with my shoulder. When my shoulder hit his chest I knew it was a clean hit, so I don’t have any worries. There wasn’t any need for me to go back and look, because I knew what I did. I knew I pulled up a little bit.
“That could have been a way bigger collision, but I pulled up a little bit and made sure I put my shoulder across his chest. So I didn’t bat an eye or think twice about it being a dirty hit or anything because I knew I hit him in the cleanest form I could.”
Browning said as of Thursday night, he had received notice of a league fine, and doesn’t think he should get one.
“I’ve never been fined before, so I’m not sure how that all works,’’ he said. “I haven’t gotten anything yet so I think I’m OK. I would say I hope so.”
Johnson ready with Jeudy sore
No. 2 receiver Jerry Jeudy participated early in practice Thursday but then moved to observer once the quarterbacks and receivers went full speed in a passing drill. Jeudy has a groin pull issue. If he’s limited or can’t play Sunday at Houston, the Broncos should be able to replace him with Brandon Johnson, who returned to practice this week without hindrance after missing the past four games with a hamstring injury.
There’s a spot open on the Broncos’ 53-man roster, and it may be waiting for Johnson to be officially activated.
“I’m 100%,’’ Johnson said. “I’m not sure how that [roster] stuff goes, but I’m ready."
Ms. Locke the designer
It was Janeil Locke, wife of Broncos’ safety P.J. Locke, who made up those “Free KJack” t-shirts the team’s defensive backs wore during pregame warmups Sunday. Jackson was serving the first of a four-game suspension for what the league viewed as repeated unnecessary roughness hits.
“She has her own business,’’ Locke said. “Credentials. She makes designs for some of the wives, clothes, put their husband’s number or whatever they want on it. It was pretty cool, man. I didn’t expect it to be so big. It was a way of supporting K.J. Nothing towards the NFL or anything. It was just for K.J. He can’t be around the team. He can’t be in the building.’’
Broncos-Lions game set
The Broncos announced their game against the Detroit Lions at Detroit’s Ford Field will be played at 6:15 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16 on the NFL Network. The original schedule had the game played on either Saturday, Dec 16 or Sunday, Dec. 17. With both teams playing well – the Broncos are 6-5 with a five-game winning streak and the Lions have a large lead in the NFC North with an 8-3 record – the league’s network decided their game was worth a stand-alone, primetime audience.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Sports
