Eventually in the NFL, production is all that matters.
Draft status comes with trimmings. Contracts can provide some level of protection.
Talent buys second chances and longer runways after injuries.
Ultimately, though, players who produce find their way to the field and eventually to the bank.
That principle showed through as the Broncos set their long-term course at outside linebacker with a pair of consequential moves over the past three days.
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Denver on Saturday quietly agreed to a four-year extension worth up to $60 million ($33 million guaranteed) for Jonathon Cooper and then Monday traded Baron Browning to Arizona for a 2025 sixth-round pick.
The team spent months knowing it would come to an inflection point and finally reached the time to act.
In the end, their long-term choice boiled down to picking between a pair of guys who had been on the same team since 2017 when Browning arrived at Ohio State.
The Broncos selected Browning in the third round of the 2021 draft and then Cooper in the seventh.
Like so many second- and third-day draft picks, both took time to develop. Browning started his career at inside linebacker before moving to the edge in 2022. Cooper had a heart scare after the draft and then dealt with other injuries up until the middle of the 2022 season.
They both were set to become free agents after this season and both had been candidates for second contracts in Denver.
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Availability and production eventually carried the day for Cooper.
The Gahanna, Ohio, native has played in 38 straight games for the Broncos. He’s started 30 straight and 35 of the past 36.
Over that span, Cooper’s done nothing but improve. He’s always been a high-motor, high-energy player and a tough run defender. He’s also become a quality pass-rusher, if not an elite one. Cooper’s got 5.5 sacks this year and could hit double digits for the first time in his career. He’s logged 30 pressures through nine games this season …read more
Source:: The Denver Post – Sports
