Why a 2024 mid-season trade could be what the Arizona Cardinals need in 2025

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Occasionally, when Jonathan Gannon talks, his voice gains an extra beat of enthusiasm. This is when he goes from generically positive coach speak to genuine praise. It’s when you can tell his excitement means something.

And earlier in camp, a question about edge rusher Baron Browning sparked perhaps the most enthusiastic version of the Arizona Cardinals head coach that we’ve seen in 2025.

Browning arrived at the trade deadline last fall, the rare midseason addition in the NFL. Gannon was asked about the impact of Browning now having a full offseason program with the organization.

“Huge,” Gannon said. “Huge. I'll give you an example. In the meeting room, the questions he's asking, it's like, ‘Yes, dude, those are the questions you should be asking.’ You can tell his understanding is way above what it was when he got here.”

Gannon’s response continued from there, lasting nearly 90 seconds.

He said Browning did an “excellent job of getting caught up” to speed after the trade, but that he’s now graduated from the 101 level to the 221 level in his understanding of the defense. He feels new outside linebackers coach Matt Feeney is a good fit with Browning. And he revealed that Browning will “line up in some different spots,” taking advantage of his versatility.

So, what does all of this mean for the Cardinals' defense? It could be more than meets the eye.

Browning is not one of the biggest names along the Cardinals' suddenly talent-laden defensive line. Josh Sweat is the marquee free agent addition, with his $76.4 million payday. Calais Campbell and Dalvin Tomlinson are the established vets on the interior. Darius Robinson and Walter Nolen both have first-round pedigree.

But other than Sweat, none of those players are edge rushers. That means that they still need a second edge rusher to step up and help divide the attention of opposing offenses.

This is where Browning enters the picture.

Zaven Collins has never been anything more than an average pass rusher. Last year, his 10.7% pressure rate ranked 49th among 95 edge rushers with 200-plus pass rush snaps — essentially dead average. His career high in sacks is five.

B.J. Ojulari has the pedigree, as a former second-round pick, and generated an encouraging 12.4% pressure rate as a rookie in 2023. But he missed all of last season with a torn ACL and hasn’t yet returned to the field. He is still mostly an unknown quantity.

Jordan Burch, like Ojulari, has some draft pedigree as a third-rounder this spring. He’s already worked in with the first-team defense, which is encouraging. Still, he’s a middle-round rookie. Expecting a significant impact in year one would be expecting an anomaly.

All of those players will have a role. Edge rushers don’t play every snap. But here, at the beginning of August, it’s Browning who’s in pole position to earn the starting job opposite Sweat.

Even after coming over at the trade deadline — from the Denver Broncos in exchange for a sixth-round pick — Browning excelled. His excellent 14.7% pressure rate was more indicative of his impact than the mere two sacks he finished with. No other Cardinal was as effective at getting to the quarterback.

“I think I'm a fast learner,” Browning said. “You kinda gotta learn fast or get left behind.”

But even if the transition went well, it’s not easy being traded midseason. The Cardinals incorporated Browning gradually, adding a little more to his plate each week.

Now, he’s a full go. It’s more than just knowing the playbook. Browning feels more comfortable in his understanding of the Cardinals' language and in the rules of their defense.

That’s the minutiae players have to master. How is an edge rusher supposed to respond to a pulling guard on a zone read? How does a defensive playcall indicate the unit’s reaction to a wide receiver in motion? There are countless details like that, many of which differ between teams.

“Just having an offseason to fully take in the system through OTAs,” Browning said, “and then reinstalling in training camp, just fully digesting all the information and just feeling comfortable with it, being able to play fast and not thinking about a certain job, what I might have to do in this (playcall).”

Early in training camp, the difference has been clear. The two most impactful players along the Cardinals' front have been Robinson and Browning.

“Violence in the run game and the ability to win in the pass game,” Gannon said. “… He's functioning at a high level with schematic execution.”

Even if it’s just a few days of practice — and even fewer in pads — that bodes well for Arizona’s defensive ceiling.

“We can be one of the best fronts in the league,” Browning said. “If not the best.”