Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Baron Browning solidifies the team’s pass rush by re-signing on a two-year, $15 million deal. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE – It’s no secret the Eagles’ domination in the trenches during Super Bowl LIX provided the latest blueprint for success in the NFL. The Arizona Cardinals, among many, are heavily focused this offseason on improving their offensive and defensive lines after a lackluster rush defense and pass rush in 2024. The Cardinals took the first step in that process by extending outside linebacker Baron Browning to begin the week.
Browning re-signed a two-year, $15 million deal Sunday, that could reach $19 million in incentives, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reported.
“I believe in what we’re trying to do here. I believe in the coaches, JG (Jonathan Gannon), Nick (defensive coordinator Nick Rallis), and most importantly, I believe in my teammates,” Browning said Wednesday. “So I think all around it’s a right fit for me.”
The Denver Broncos drafted Browning in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft. The Cardinals traded for Browning last year in the final year of his rookie contract. Browning played eight games with Arizona in 2024, starting in one game. He collected two sacks, 14 tackles and four tackles for loss.
Browning said he felt like he started to hit his stride toward the end of the season. His two sacks and lone start with the Cardinals last year came in the final four games of the season.
Browning dealt with a foot injury throughout the 2024 season, which prohibited him from being at his best. Now, he’s healthy and ready for training camp.
“I’m really excited about just being here for the whole offseason, and being able to build the chemistry with my teammates and really get comfortable with the system,” Browning said.
The outside linebacker didn’t wait long to re-sign with the Cardinals, as he agreed before the NFL free agency officially started where he could talk with other teams.
“If you have a girlfriend who’s a 10, why play around?” Browning said with a smile.
He enjoyed his time with the Cardinals in 2024, fit well with the system and has bought into the vision of the coaching staff. With the business side out of the way, now he can focus on football.
“It’s nice, that’s one less thing on my plate. Now I can just focus on my training and my nutrition, and making sure I’m doing what I need to do to be ready,” Browning said.
Browning played all four years in college at Ohio State, seeing action in 43 games during his collegiate career. He played in all 12 games each season from 2017 to 2020, when he reached new heights each year. Browning accumulated 109 tackles, seven sacks and 18 tackles for loss with the Buckeyes.
In his three-plus years with the Broncos, Browning played in 43 games. He collected 114 tackles, 9.5 sacks and 15 TFLs.
“I can control what I can and then once that year is over with, I can just move forward and try to take what I maybe did wrong or whatever I feel like I can improve in,” Browning said. “Going into that next season, just trying to be better.”
Browning was impressed with Gannon and Rallis’ energy, honesty and ability to relate with players during his eight games with the Cardinals last season. Gannon is 42 and Rallis is just 31. The youth in the coaching staff made every day fun for Browning.
One of the main reasons the Cardinals traded for Browning was his ability to match the Cardinals’ defensive schemes. Gannon, Rallis and Browning all see the potential Browning’s versatility brings with Arizona’s formations, and his ability to improve and find success.
The Cardinals hired Matt Feeney as the new outside linebackers coach in February. Feeney spent three years with the Las Vegas Raiders before coming to Arizona. He was the defensive quality control coach from 2022 to 2023, and the assistant defensive backs coach in 2024.
However, Feeney spent time assisting with the linebackers and was promoted to interim linebackers coach in 2023, when Antonio Pierce was promoted to interim head coach. Feeney also coached linebackers at three different universities.
Although Browning hasn’t been able to spend much time with Feeney yet, he left their first meeting impressed.
“I haven’t talked to him too much, we just kind of had an intro conversation, and that was kind of before I re-signed. I’m looking forward to continuing to build a relationship with him,” Browning said. “But, just from our first meeting I could tell he’s a guy I’m going to like a lot. (He had) great energy just in the intro. First impressions are everything.”
Browning is the Cardinals’ first domino to fall this offseason, but there will likely be more. The 2025 NFL league year officially began Wednesday at 1 p.m. Now, all trades can be official and signings can be finalized.
The Cardinals are in agreement with former Eagles defensive end Josh Sweat on a four-year, $76.4 million contract, according to multiple reports.
The re-signing of Browning and addition of Sweat have made vast improvements to the Cardinals’ pass rush from 2024 and may signal there’s other positions they’ll target more heavily in the April NFL Draft.
The Cardinals’ outside linebacking core now consists of Sweat, Browning, Zaven Collins and BJ Ojulari – a group that could be ranked in the top-half of the league.
Collins is the only player of the four that played all 17 games for the Cardinals in 2024. The linebacker led the team with five sacks, accumulated 57 tackles and was third on the team with seven TFLs. Ojulari played in all 17 games in his rookie season in 2023, collecting four sacks, 40 tackles and five TFLs. However, he tore his ACL in training camp last year and missed the entire season.
Sweat has had at least 6.5 sacks and seven TFLs each of the last four years, and made the Pro Bowl in 2021. He sacked Patrick Mahomes two and a half times in the Eagles’ Super Bowl Championship over the Kansas City Chiefs last season.
If these four guys can perform to their maximum level, the Cardinals outside linebackers could make the front four a force to be reckoned with. Collins, Browning and Ojulari are young players with loads of talent, and Sweat is the perfect veteran presence who’s experienced it all to help develop the young talent.
“I think that it’s a very tough group, and I’m excited to just be able to be in the room with all of those guys and learn from everybody in the room and just add value to it,” Browning said.
The Cardinals’ outside linebacker depth includes Xavier Thomas and Benton Whitley. Dennis Gardeck, Victor Dimikeje and Julian Okwara are free agents, and Jesse Luketa is a restricted free agent.
Gardeck, Okwara and Luketa combined for 61 tackles, seven sacks and 13 TFLs and Dimikeje added 15 tackles and two TFLs. However, Gardeck provided 22 tackles and three sacks in just seven games, due to injury.
Thomas pitched in two and a half sacks and 10 tackles last season, and Whitley was signed off the New York Giants practice squad in December 2024.
There’s still plenty of work to be done for the Cardinals this offseason, from the offensive line to the receiving core, but the additions to the outside linebacking group are much needed improvements and should help in generating more pass rush and better run defense in 2025.