Sean Payton's explanation of Baron Browning trade will put Broncos fans at ease

The Denver Broncos didn't make any moves to add players at the 2024 NFL trade deadline, but they did make one move to subtract from the roster. With so many players coming off the injury report in the near future, the Broncos decided it was in the best interests of the player to send pass rusher Baron Browning to the Arizona Cardinals, giving the former third-round pick out of Ohio State a chance to thrive.

The trade didn't make sense to a lot of people on the surface because Browning was a starter at the beginning of the year for the Broncos and has been projected for the past couple of years to be one of the team's prime impact players. Unfortunately, that never materialized as Browning landed on injured reserve yet again earlier this season and was rather ineffective when he returned.

But to many who aren't paying close attention to the day-to-day of the Denver Broncos, trading away Browning was a signal that the team was "selling" at the deadline despite being 5-4 heading into a prime matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. Not only are the Broncos not selling, but this trade of Browning actually opens up playing time for other young players with more of a future in Denver.

Sean Payton explains that Broncos did right by Baron Browning trading him to Cardinals

Broncos head coach Sean Payton helped us all make sense of the team's thought process in trading Browning to the Cardinals for a sixth-round pick at the 2024 trade deadline.

“Well in fairness to [OLB] Baron [Browning] even, we had a long talk, and just the contract year, the amount of snaps—he can get more snaps. It’s the puzzle of trying to look outwards too and certainly, he’s been a part of what we’ve been doing. So it’s never easy to trade someone, and yet I thought just in our visit, [General Manager] George [Paton] and I and Baron sitting down he totally understood. He was looking forward to getting more snaps and certainly in the year for him it’s important.”

- Broncos HC Sean Payton (via team PR)

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The issue for Browning in Denver was twofold: Not enough snaps, and not enough opportunities to make money in 2025 NFL free agency.

The Arizona Cardinals are offering him that chance. And in the meantime, the Broncos have an EDGE rotation they can hang their hats on. Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper have been outstanding the last two seasons, to the point that Cooper just received a $60 million extension from the team. The Broncos also love rookie Jonah Elliss, a third-round pick out of Utah. Former third-round pick Drew Sanders, one of the team's top priorities in the 2023 NFL Draft, is also returning to the practice feild and set to make his 2024 debut soon.

The Broncos have seen more out of undrafted rookie Dondrea Tillman, a former UFL star, when he's played this year compared to Browning.

So hopefully Broncos Country will be at ease knowing this was not a move to "sell" at the trade deadline. it's not indicative that this team doesn't believe in its own ability to make the postseason or anything like that. This was a simple situation of roster gymnastics and the team doing right by a player who was going to lose more and more snaps anyway.