With a few possible candidates, PFF names OLB Baron Browning as their top bounce-back player in 2025
The Arizona Cardinals hope to bounce back from a bad end to their season, going from 6-4 and in the NFC West lead to losing five of their final games. They also have players who could bounce back.
Who is their most likely bounce-back candidate?
PFF gave a bounce-back candidate for each team. For the Cardinals, it is linebacker Baron Browning.
On the surface, the Cardinals extending a player who earned just a 58.0 PFF grade last season may not seem wise. However, Baron Browning found his groove as a pass rusher after being traded to Arizona and could be poised for a return to his 2023 form. From Weeks 10 through 18 last season, Browning ranked 16th among qualified edge defenders with a 77.3 pass-rush grade. He also ranked sixth among that same group with an 18.6% pass-rush win rate. A full season of that level of production would significantly improve the outlook of Arizona’s pass rush.
Browning gradually increased his playing time late in the season and the Cardinals re-signed him for two more seasons. They hope he can be the player who had 9.5 sacks in 24 games in 2022-2023. His issue has been staying healthy. He is now in an improved outside linebacker room with Josh Sweat and with BJ Ojulari returning. And Zaven Collins, who led the Cardinals with five sacks, remains on the roster and could improve in his third year playing off the edge.
Browning isn’t the only player who could bounce back. Ojulari, who missed all last season, is another possibility, as is tackle Jonah Williams, who went down twice with knee injuries.
If Browning can produce five to seven sacks in a rotational role, he will be well worth his two-year deal and the trade to acquire him last season.
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