Broncos Ring-of-Fame LB Karl Mecklenburg Shares Insight on Baron Browning's Position Switch

One of the Broncos' greatest linebackers of all-time dished on Baron Browning's position switch from the inside to being an edge rusher.

A particular topic of interest to Denver Broncos fans right now is Baron Browning moving from inside linebacker (last season) to edge rusher in 2022. The position switch was confirmed by Browning last week. 

Will the move work out for Browning and the Broncos? Who better to ask than Broncos Ring-of-Famer Karl Mecklenburg, who played all front seven positions on the defense during his career in the 1980s and '90s and was a key cog on three Super Bowl teams. When a legend of that caliber speaks, you listen.

Mecklenburg joined me on our Legends of Mile High podcast on Friday and provided incredible insight on both the past and present situation in Denver. Mecklenburg shared his thoughts on Browning's move to edge rusher.

“I do know that having played both positions, it’s a very different position," Mecklenburg told me. "As an outside linebacker, your primary role is to make sure you contain things, don’t let them outside of you. Your job is to turn it back into the other 10 guys… Obviously rushing the passer is a much bigger component for an outside linebacker than it is for an inside linebacker. The other frustrating thing about playing outside linebacker is they [the offense] can just go the other way—from that standpoint you are not as involved in things as much as you are at inside linebacker.”

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Moving Browning to rush linebacker is going to cause some learning difficulties. He spent the entire offseason and every practice learning the inside linebacker position last season. That knowledge will not be as useful to him as an edge defender. 

It will also take an athletic player who was growing into a sideline-to-sideline inside linebacker involved in nearly every play to a player who only makes an impact part-time, even if he is on the field for every snap. Browning's playing time will be limited with Bradley Chubb and Randy Gregory as the Broncos' starting edge duo. 

Not being at the point of attack could be very frustrating for a player like Browning, who has an intriguing skill set for manning the middle. Injuries in 2021 forced Browning, as well as many other players, to step in at inside linebacker. 

As a rookie, that's a tough spot to be in, but Browning played solid. He made some rookie mistakes but showed promise.

Once Browning didn’t have to make most of the calls for the defense, he could just play. He used solid instincts and athletic ability to flow to the ball. His growth in the latter part of the season really showed.

“Playing inside linebacker in the NFL as a rookie is tough," Mecklenburg told me. "Your primary job is to make sure everyone [on defense] is doing what they are supposed to do. As a rookie that’s a hard thing to do. I saw him make a lot of plays, but I also saw him give up a lot of plays. That was a challenge for him, but he grew throughout the year. Obviously, they went and picked up Kenny Young from the [Los Angeles] Rams, he got a lot of playing time and that helped. All of a sudden, the adjustments and calls were on his shoulders instead of on Browning’s which helped a lot.”

It would be interesting to see what Browning could do with an experienced inside linebacker like Josey Jewell playing next to him, but unfortunately, Broncos fans may not get a chance to see that scenario. Browning’s move will be a significantly watched as well as analyzed event throughout the season. 

Fans can only hope that the coach’s decision to move Browning pays dividends.

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