Broncos Camp OLB Stock Report: 4 Risers, 2 Fallers

The Denver Broncos have a stable of edge rushers with incredible potential, but the unit lacks experience. The starters are set in Bradley Chubb and Randy Gregory, but there are health and durability questions with those two players.

Gregory, currently on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, is on track to be ready for Week 1, but without having any practice in camp or preseason, he will be rusty. That opens the door for others that didn’t seem to have a shot before Gregory’s surgery. The Broncos coaches have a few difficult decisions upcoming in this group.

Watching the Broncos' camp practices, Chubb looks incredible. If he can stay healthy, he's in for the best season of his career. Behind him are all the question marks — centered around inexperience and if potential can translate to the field in 2022.

Here are my key takeaways from really scrutinizing the performance of the Broncos' rush linebackers behind Chubb and Gregory and which among them are rising and falling.

Malik Reed | Stock: Up

Reed has been running with the first-team defense often during Gregory’s vacancy. Reed's experience gives him an edge, and the Broncos may be wise to keep him around because behind him are young players who need development.

In 11-on-11 drills, I watched Reed produce what would have been a sack on Russell Wilson in a real game situation and he looked good in pass rush opportunities. Reed has shown trouble in the past in setting the edge in the run game, but his experience is valuable. He looks to be the front runner in the race to secure a spot in this position group.

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Baron Browning | Stock: Up

The next man could be the first edge player off the bench when the regular season starts. Browning's athleticism is so apparent that he stands out in the depth rotation group. His explosiveness shows up in drills and scrimmage.

Browning was in on a few great defensive plays I watched during 11-on-11 team drills. He blew up a run play in combination with DL Marquiss Spencer and set the edge on another run play that allowed DT Mike Purcell to make a great play.

In drop-back drills, Browning was head and shoulders above the rest of the edge group, which may hint at his versatility come gameday. He may have some growing pains, but he is an athletic freak, and it translates well to the playing field.

Nik Bonitto | Stock: Up

Like Browning, Bonitto’s athleticism and explosiveness pop out. However, he can’t set the edge like Browning. Bonitto appears to need more strength and some development.

The good thing is, Bonitto is coachable. More than once, I witnessed a mistake in a drill that the coaches identified, and on the very next rep, he was able to do it correctly. That's a good sign for the second-round selection.

Bonitto's ability is undeniable, as evidenced by his four sacks during Thursday's joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys, but with his need to develop, he may not see the field as often as Browning unless injuries force it to happen.

Jonathan Kongbo | Stock: Up

The surprise of camp in this position group is Kongbo. He attacked every drill with more intensity than the others in the group and took coaching well, looking more explosive than expected and made several nice plays in the scrimmage.

On one play, Kongbo showed really good use of his hands to keep the offensive lineman away from his body and on the very next play, he was in the backfield quickly to disrupt the offense. He also lined up off the ball where he performed a delayed rush to perfection.

Kongbo was quickly in the quarterback’s face to disrupt the offense that may have resulted in a sack in a real game situation. This is a tough group for him to crack the lineup, but with his performance so far and the health issues, it's not out of the question. At the very least, he will be brought back to the practice squad if he is available after initial cuts.

Jonathon Cooper | Stock: Down

Jonathon Cooper and Christopher Allen are both mysteries. Neither participated in any of the team practices I watched and, although Allen was in pads, he did not participate in any drills with the edge rushers. Cooper did not participate in any drills that required the use of his hands against dummies.

It appears that the team is being very careful with the healing process with these two, as Allen was unsurprisingly placed on season-ending injured reserve. It was unfortunate since the Broncos had the opportunity to keep Cooper on the PUP list and Allen on the NFI list to start the season, but opted not to.

Aaron Patrick | Stock: Down

The final player in the group is Aaron Patrick. He looks like a player on the outside looking in, although his special teams value to the Broncos has been remarked by coordinator Dwayne Stukes.

I did not see anything remarkable from Patrick during team drills or individual. He looks like a practice squad candidate at best, but at a loaded position, his spot on the team is in jeopardy. Patrick will need a big preseason to turn the coaches' heads.

Bottom Line

The Broncos have a group of players who can get the job done on the edge. All have questions, but if health permits and development takes place as hoped, the quartet of Chubb, Gregory, Browning, and Bonitto will be a formidable force this season.

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