Cardinals trade for Broncos pass rusher Baron Browning

TEMPE, Ariz. – The Cardinals are getting the pass rushing help they need.

A day before the NFL trade deadline, the Cardinals sent a 2025 sixth-round pick to the Denver Broncos in exchange for pass rusher Baron Browning.

The trade is still pending, the Cardinals announced.

Browning has played just five games at outside linebacker for the Broncos this season after a left foot injury in Week 2 forced him on injured reserve for four weeks. He has seven tackles and no sacks this year, but leaves the season with 4.5 and 5.0 sacks, respectively. Browning was a third-round pick out of Ohio State in 2021.

He fills a need for Arizona, whose pass rush has been decimated this season by injuries to BJ Ojulari and Dennis Gardeck. Ojulari, who was expected to be one of Arizona's starting outside linebackers, tore his left ACL during training camp, and Gardeck tore his right ACL two weeks ago in a win over the Los Angeles Chargers on “Monday Night Football.” .

The Cardinals, who had a season-high six sacks with a win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday, have 21 sacks this season, bringing their total to 39, six more than last year.

In the Broncos' rotation among their outside linebackers, rookie Jonah Elliss has steadily carved out playing time – he has had his three highest snap counts of the season in the last five games – and Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper lead the Broncos in sacks with 6 and 6, respectively. 5.5, Browning was well on his way to hitting the nadir of his playing time.

In his five games this season, Browning had played an average of 24.4 snaps per game, which is roughly just over half the snaps he averaged in games over the first three years of his career.

Browning will be an unrestricted free agent in March.

ESPN's Jeff Legwold contributed to this report.