Three weeks ago, the Arizona Cardinals were coming off a heartbreaking 34-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers. It looked like Jonathan Gannon was on his way to another losing season, his second in a row since taking over as Arizona’s head coach in 2023.
Yet, the Cardinals have since rattled off three consecutive wins, and now they’re in first place of the NFC West. This made the Cardinals trade rumors heat up, which suggested they were in the market for a number of different roster upgrades ahead of Tuesday’s NFL deadline. Now we finally know who the Cardinals were targeting.
Related: See where Kyler Murray lands in Sportsnaut’s NFL QB Rankings
Arizona Cardinals trade for Baron Browning
According to the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Denver Broncos have agreed to trade edge rusher Baron Browning to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round draft pick.
Browning joined the Denver Broncos as a third-round selection and the 105th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He’s been in the Mile High city ever since, which means he’s never made a postseason appearance,or been on a team that had a winning record.
Now joining the Cardinals, he’ll have a chance to knock both items off his bucket list, with Arizona sitting in first place of the NFC West.
The Cardinals have acquired EDGE defender Baron Browning from the Broncos in exchange for a 6th round pick, per @TomPelissero
— PFF ARZ Cardinals (@PFF_Cardinals) November 4, 2024
Browning has 76 pressures on a 12.4% pass rush win rate since 2022 pic.twitter.com/GXNsIGD8wy
Browning has long been touted as a potential breakout candidate, but he found himself stuck behind a collection of other Denver pass-rushers with upside. So, after starting just two of his five appearances this season, the Broncos decided to ship him off before he reaches free agency this offseason.
He’s tallied seven tackles (1 TFL) this season, and his career-high in sacks came in 2022, when he had five QB takedowns. Browning has played in 46% of Denver’s defensive snaps this season, but that total figures to climb once he touches down in Arizona.
Related: Week 10 fantasy rankings: Best fantasy QB, RB, WR, TEs this week