Denver Broncos: 4 CJ Henderson trade ideas with the Jaguars
3. CJ Henderson for Baron Browning and a pick
The Denver Broncos were fortunate enough to land Ohio State linebacker Baron Browning in the late portion of the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Browning was routinely projected in the second round of mock drafts, so when he fell to the last pick of round three, it was quite surprising.
The Jacksonville Jaguars were holding out hope that Browning would make it to their top pick in the fourth round, per head coach Urban Meyer.
"I saw Baron Browning sitting there the night before and I'm like, 'We got the next pick. Can we?' Boom, he's gone."
— 247Sports (@247Sports) May 2, 2021
Jaguars coach Urban Meyer says Jacksonville "really wanted" Ohio State LB Baron Browning, but Denver Broncos drafted him one spot ahead:https://t.co/c9vd3xosxn pic.twitter.com/rLlk6lzKWF
Meyer obviously knows Browning quite well from their time together at Ohio State. If the Jaguars really wanted Browning that bad, would they be willing to part with last year’s first-round pick in exchange for the former Ohio State linebacker?
It’s not impossible to think that way.
The Jaguars just traded former big-money free agent Joe Schobert to the Pittsburgh Steelers. They obviously wanted Browning in the draft, and while Browning may have played more of a pass rusher role in Jacksonville, they need guys at the linebacker position.
The Denver Broncos have not yet really gotten to see what Browning can do on the field because he’s been hurt since OTAs, with a very vague timeline on his potential return to the field.
If the Broncos could trade Browning for Henderson, maybe also throwing an insurance draft pick the Jaguars’ way, is that a deal that would benefit both teams?
The Broncos aren’t exactly overloaded with inside linebacker depth, but Henderson plays a more critical position and unless Denver views Browning as a possible heir to Von Miller, they should at least consider this prospect swap.