ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Yes, the transition from the Von and Chubb duo to the young and relentless trio on the defensive edge has gone as well as the Broncos could have hoped.
It would be a mistake, though, to unceremoniously throw out the old. The young and relentless say they couldn’t have emerged as a successful Broncos trio – Baron Browning, Jonathon Cooper, Nik Bonitto -- had it not been for former veterans Von Miller and Bradley Chubb.
“I think the transition is going pretty smooth,’’ said Browning, who with Cooper and Bonitto have combined for 12.0 sacks through eight games this season. “Having guys like Von, Chubb, Malik Reed and even Randy (Gregory) and Frank (Clark), just having those older guys and getting a feel for the mentality they bring and rubbing off on us.
“We want to keep the high standard that we had in the room and even going back to (DeMarcus) Ware and Elvis Dumervil. So holding that standard high in the room.”
Indeed, since 2011, the Broncos pass rush has been Von and Elvis, then Von and D-Ware, then Von and Chubb, and then, after a hiccup with Gregory and Clark, the move to all youth with Browning (2.0 sacks in 2 games), Cooper (4.5 sacks) and Bonitto (5.5).
Vance Joseph has been a common denominator in Denver’s latest pass-rush transition. In his final year as Broncos head coach in 2018, Miller (14.5) and Chubb (12.0) combined for 26.5 sacks. Joseph then left, with a nudge, to become the Arizona Cardinals’ defensive coordinator for four seasons. He returned this year, this time as Denver’s defensive coordinator, to help Browning, Cooper and Bonitto take their next steps to where they are now legitimate threats on the quarterback.
“It’s been fun to watch,’’ Joseph said Friday. “Having Baron back is huge for us. He’s a talent, and he’s a young player at outside linebacker. He was an inside linebacker in college, and he came here as an inside linebacker. He’s still growing as an outside linebacker. The talent is there, the mindset is there, and the power is there.’’
Browning was a Broncos compensatory draft choice, the last pick in the third round, in 2021 after splitting time at inside and outside linebacker at Ohio State. The Broncos’ then head coach and defensive play-caller Vic Fangio thought Browning was best at inside linebacker, which is where Browning played his rookie year. Played pretty well, too, as he eventually started nine games and showed sideline to sideline tenacity, even if he needed more time at the inside position to develop better anticipation.
“Coming into my rookie year, obviously I wanted to be on the outside but I didn’t worry about it too much,’’ Browning said. “I just wanted to maximize the role I did have because when I got out there on the inside I wanted to make sure it was good film. And I didn’t want to let my teammates down because the two older guys who were in front of me got hurt that year, A.J. (Johnson) and Josey (Jewell).’’
With Fangio gone, with a nudge, after 2021, general manager George Paton and new Denver defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero moved Browning last year to the edge, where he flourished, when healthy, recording 5.0 sacks in his final 9 games.
Injuries have interrupted Browning from perhaps already emerging into a star. He missed three games because of a variety of injuries in each of his first two seasons and he suffered a torn knee meniscus that required surgery while working out with the team in mid-May. When he returned, the Broncos were foundering with a 1-5 record and a defense that was the NFL’s worst in all the important categories.
“It was frustrating just because I had put a lot of work in and getting out to OTAs seeing how my body felt, I felt like I was in the best shape,’’ said Browning, who trained with former Von Miller trainer Frank Matrisciano in San Francisco between the Super Bowl and the start of the Broncos’ offseason program in April. “I still kind of do, so I was a little bummed but I just kind of accepted my reality and just controlled what I could and let everything else take care of itself.”
The Broncos are 2-0 since Browning’s return – allowing 15.0 points per game against Green Bay and the Kansas City Chiefs — that is second-best in the league since week 6. Browning twice sacked the great Patrick Mahomes in the Broncos’ most recent game on Oct. 29. And then came the bye week.
“It would have been cool to keep playing just because I was getting in a rhythm, but I won’t argue with a bye week,’’ Browning said. “Some down time to get a mental break away from football. Get away, come back and recharge.”
Next up is the bigger, stronger, running quarterback version in the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen, who also has the league’s No. 1 arm strength. The Broncos play the Bills on Monday night in Orchard Park, N.Y.
“I feel like the last two weeks we played against quarterbacks (Jordan Love and Mahomes), who can run, so for us it’s all about being on the same page in our rush plan,’’ Browning said. “And executing at a high level. And making sure we have communication on both sides so we don’t leave an open space for him to scramble through.”
Miller is now playing for the Bills, and the Monday night matchup with his former team has brought attention to the Broncos’ out-with-the-old, in-with-new players at outside linebacker. Browning said he didn’t get to learn from Miller as much as he would have liked in 2021. Browning was hanging out with the inside linebackers that year and Miller was traded midway through the season with the Los Angeles Rams, where he earned a second Super Bowl ring.
But Browning did attend Miller’s pass-rush camp last year where he picked up some invaluable lessons. The Broncos’ new guys may not be as refined as Miller and Chubb but they play with top-speed motors on every single play.
“They’re just talented guys,’’ Joseph said. “Baron and ‘Coop’, if you know their story, played behind the Bosa boys and Chase Young, who were both No. 1 picks. In college, they were not starters. They were backups playing inside linebacker and some outside linebacker. If those two kids go to different schools, they may be first-round picks, but they are really good players and really good kids. They work hard and they’re getting better every week. …
“I’m not surprised that they are playing well, and they should play better moving forward. It’s a good group. If you want to be a 3-4 defense, you have to have outside rushers, and we have three.”
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