The Denver Broncos made a bold and rather surprising move to let go of former big-money free agent signing Randy Gregory. Although head coach Sean Payton stated that the team was still trying to trade Randy Gregory (and no transaction is yet official), the only reports we have right now are the Broncos moving on from Randy Gregory, whether they cut him outright or trade him to another team. One way or another, I think we were on our way to seeing less of Randy Gregory, and now we won't see him at all.
With Gregory out of the picture, it seems the Denver Broncos want to commit to more of a youth movement off the edge than having Randy Gregory and Frank Clark eating up a ton of snaps if they're not going to produce.
We already know that Jonathon Cooper is entrenched as a starter on this Denver Broncos defense, but which players will we see a lot more of heading into Week 5 now with Gregory out of the picture?
3 pass rushers we'll see more of for Denver Broncos after Randy Gregory move
1. Nik Bonitto
The most obvious player who benefits from the team's decision to let go of Randy Gregory is second-year player Nik Bonitto. Bonitto replaced Gregory in the Broncos' starting lineup in Week 4 against the Chicago Bears and put together the best performance we've seen from him so far in orange and blue.
The former second-round pick out of Oklahoma had 2.5 sacks, 2 QB hits, a forced fumble, and 2.0 tackles for loss against the Bears, and he's already matched his rookie season total of six pressures in just four games this season.
Bonitto was a consistent pass rusher at Oklahoma and the Broncos knew he might be a little raw when they drafted him last year, but he does appear to be taking that next step as a player in 2023.
2. Baron Browning
One of the most highly anticipated players for the Denver Broncos in 2023, just in general, is linebacker Baron Browning. Browning has exceptional athleticism and speed coming off the edge, and he reminded many Broncos fans last year of Von Miller when he was coming off the edge.
Browning has that type of explosiveness to win with speed, as well as converting speed to power. Unfortunately, due to a knee injury, we haven't seen Browning all season. He's been out since OTAs but the Denver Broncos recently opened up his 21-day window to return from the PUP list.
🚨Baron Browning is BACK🚨 pic.twitter.com/ocI5Spwym6
— DNVR Broncos (@DNVR_Broncos) October 4, 2023
The Broncos are going to be smart with Baron Browning and getting him back on the field at the right pace, but don't be surprised if they're trying to be coy about his return, either. Sean Payton likes to keep injury updates as close to the vest or vague as possible, and Browning's status has always seemingly been that he could return quickly after his practice window opens.
Browning had 12 QB hits, 8.0 tackles for loss, and 5.0 sacks last season for the Broncos in his first year coming off the edge instead of playing off-ball linebacker. You saw him do a little of both when he was still at Ohio State, but there's really no doubt that his talents are best served coming off the edge.
And that kind of explosiveness will give the Denver Broncos a much-needed boost whenever he returns, even if his snap count is limited upon coming back.
3. Ronnie Perkins
I don't know how quickly we're going to see Ronnie Perkins break into the rotation, but it will be awesome to see him out on the field at some point. The Broncos plucked Perkins off of the New England Patriots' practice squad, and that move certainly raised some eyebrows because we haven't seen George Paton typically do this as the GM of the team, but also, Perkins is a relatively high draft pick for the Pats.
He was selected in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft, 96th overall, and had a lot of fans in that pre-draft process.
Here's what NFL.com's Lance Zierlein had to say about him in his evaluation:
"Productive but undersized defensive end who might need to prove he can play standing for a 3-4 scheme. Perkins is tight-hipped and a very average athlete with production coming thanks to his hard-charging motor as well as Oklahoma's slant-heavy defensive front. He's tough but the lack of bend has a distinct impact on his anchor and contact balance at the point of attack. Despite some physical deficiencies, he plays with forward focus and the attitude to go find the football. There are differences of opinion in the NFL scouting community regarding his NFL potential, but the lack of traits and functional quickness are challenges that could limit him."Lance Zierlein
It's possible we've seen those challenges limiting Perkins thus far. That, and a true lack of playing time. He has yet to appear in a regular season game. But being reunited in Denver with one of his former college position coaches (pass rush specialist Jamar Cain) as well as his old teammate Nik Bonitto could do wonders for the former top-100 draft pick.
Perkins is yet another intriguing option for the Denver Broncos off the edge. Of course, we could potentially see him as the odd-man off the roster whenever the team officially activates Baron Browning, but I quite like the idea of him finding his footing with the Broncos if given the chance to play.