Coach Hackett Shares 'Unbelievable' Early Returns on Baron Browning's Switch to OLB
One of Nathaniel Hackett's boldest early moves as head coach of the Denver Broncos has been converting inside linebacker Baron Browning into a full-time edge rusher.
It takes a rare mix of speed and athleticism to come off the edge, so when Hackett looked at Browning's film, the youngster’s massive potential as a pass rusher immediately leaped out at him. The head coach explained it after Friday's practice.
“Just kind of evaluating him when we were in the offseason seeing his body type and just watching some of his bend and how he plays,” Hackett said from UCHealth Training Center. “In this league, it’s about getting to the quarterback, first and foremost. You can never have too many rushers.”
The luxury of having several explosive pass rushers is a coach’s dream. And in the AFC West, it's an absolute necessity due to the division's collection of elite quarterbacks.
That may well have forced Hackett's hand in the end, but he called Browning's edge-rusher acumen "unbelievable," as he gushed over what the 23-years-old's ceiling might be.
“I think we wanted to see what it looked like when he was down there,” Hackett said. “We had tape of him at inside linebacker, and we were like, ‘Hey, let’s give it a shot and see what happens.’ I think for us, watching him play that position has been definitely even better than we thought. We kind of had a feeling that he might be good there, but it’s his ability to bend, his ability to anchor, and just being able to shut that edge off. He had a couple of moves early when we first got pads on—some up-and-under [moves] that were just unbelievable.”
Coach Hackett isn't the only one at Broncos HQ gushing over Browning's pass-rushing propensity. Earlier this year, the team's No. 1 pass rusher praised Browning's natural gifts.
“It’s crazy when it comes to Baron," Bradley Chubb said back in June. "The natural skills he has for the position— it’s amazing. You’ll see him out there and he just throws his shoulder down. To him, it feels like he’s doing just that, but on film, it looks like the craziest thing ever.”
The Broncos seem to be delighted with how the Browning project is developing, but many challenges still remain, not the least of which is filling the hole his position transfer created at inside linebacker. There is no arguing that Browning's move hurts the inside linebacker unit. It did.
Before the switch, Denver's inside linebacker corps already had question marks. Josey Jewell’s timely return to action will certainly ease any misgivings about the Browning switch that Hackett might still harbor.
That being said, the Broncos may continue to look for another veteran body, especially after long-time Minnesota Vikings tackling machine Anthony Barr opted to sign with the Dallas Cowboys rather than Denver.
It would appear that Hackett is committed to Browning’s positional switch, which is firmly rooted in the coach's belief that it suits the player better and will yield more results for the Broncos defense.
The proof will be revealed in the pudding when Browning matches up against opposing blockers in live-bullet game conditions starting next week when preseason Game 1 rolls around. But Hackett feels that the Broncos are already well on the way to justifying the sudden position switch of the multi-talented linebacker.
“Watching his progress shows us that our natural instincts [were right],” Hackett said. “We didn’t know—you never really know. It was kind of an experiment. I think he’s really embraced it and likes it, too. It’s fun to see him [out there].”
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