Broncos coach Sean Payton said the team didn’t get close to acquiring any particular player before Tuesday’s trade deadline.
The move Denver did make, sending outside linebacker Baron Browning to Arizona for a sixth-round pick, was due in part to how Browning’s playing time was projected here for the remainder of the season.
Payton indicated that Browning was not likely to be in Denver’s plans after this season, the final of his rookie contract, and that he was going to continue playing a reserve role.
“We had a long talk,” Payton said of he and general manager George Paton meeting with Browning as the trade went down. “Contract year, the amount of snaps — he can get more snaps — it’s the puzzle of trying to look outward, too. Certainly, he’s been a part of what we’ve been doing, so it’s never easy to trade someone.
“I thought just in our visit — George and I and Baron sitting down — he totally understood and he was looking forward to getting more snaps in a year for him that’s important.
Browning played 42% of Denver’s defensive snaps against Baltimore, his lowest full-game mark of the season to date.
The trade made for a different Wednesday for Denver outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper, who spent the past eight years as teammates with Browning at Ohio State and then Denver.
“I was really hurt and really sad to see him go, but I know it’s a good opportunity for him,” said Cooper, who signed a four-year, $60 million extension on Saturday. “I know he’ll take full advantage of it. We all know how talented Baron is.
“Fantastic football player. Fantastic dude, man. That’s my brother. I wish him all the best. I talked to him before he went and I know he’s going to go there and ball. I’m just excited to see what he does.”
Payton, meanwhile, said Denver never considered using premium draft capital at the trade deadline.
“I like this group and then it’s a matter of who,” Payton said. “We weren’t considering giving up a second or third(-round) pick. … I don’t think we even got close to discussing someone seriously.
Grass greener? Payton’s always a keen tracker of game day weather forecasts. Sunday in Kansas City looks nice — nothing like the snowstorm that pushed Denver’s Wednesday practice inside — but Saturday is a different story. The area is forecast to receive heavy rain. Not only that, but Kansas and Iowa State play Saturday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium.
That will make Sunday’s game the third played on the surface in six days — the Chiefs beat Tampa Bay there Monday night.
“I do think the field is something we have to pay attention to,” Payton said. … “We’ll have to make sure we’re prepared for that.”
It’s the second time this year Denver’s played on a grass surface the day after a college game. Raymond James Stadium in Tampa also hosted a USF game Saturday night before the Broncos’ 24-7 win against the Buccaneers.
Locke full go. Broncos safety P.J. Locke practiced fully …read more
Source:: The Denver Post – Sports
