ENGLEWOOD — Broncos GM George Paton hinted at trading outside linebacker Bradley Chubb nine months ago. 

In March, he signed Randy Gregory to five-year deal. In April, he drafted Nik Bonitto in the second round. And in May, he and the new coaching staff moved Baron Browning from inside to outside linebacker. So when he traded the Pro Bowl edge rusher to the Dolphins at the deadline last week, it shouldn’t have been a surprise. 

He, and others in the building, believe in their depth at the position, with Gregory, Browning, Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper and Jacob Martin. 

“The play of Baron, really the entire season, and then Nik Bonitto is coming on. You saw what he’s done the last few games,” Paton said Nov. 1. “Jonathan Cooper, you’ve seen what he’s done the last two years in his role. Randy Gregory, when he was healthy, one of the better pass rushers in the league and he’ll be back, we’re hoping soon. We traded for Jacob Martin, who’s going to be another depth piece, a guy who can play special teams and can do multiple things. 

“That’s certainly contributed to us making a trade of this magnitude.”

Gregory and Browning will miss Sunday’s game against the Titans with injuries, and Bonitto might too, battling an illness. And that could be a serious issue, going up against arguably the best running back in the NFL in Derrick Henry. 

But for the long-term, the Broncos are confident in their young pass rushers. Gregory, 29, is by far the oldest of the group and the anticipated leader, replacing Chubb who was voted a team captain this year. Martin, 26, is the newcomer after being traded to the Broncos from the Jets. And Browning, Cooper and Bonitto are the young up-and-comers, with Browning and Cooper being drafted in 2021 and Bonitto in 2022. 

“It’s a great opportunity for us to grow as a group,” outside linebackers coach Bert Watts said. “I think it speaks a lot to the confidence of the guys in the room, the personnel that we have for management to make a decision like that. That they feel like those guy are in a position to step up. The challenge now is that there is a void. 

“It will be interesting to see who steps into the void.” 

Gregory is the obvious choice to fill Chubb’s shoes. Before suffering a knee injury, Gregory had two sacks and two forced fumbles in four games for the Broncos. 

But Browning is the one the Broncos are especially high on. The 2021 third-round pick has been impressive in his new role, totaling 2.5 sacks and five tackles for loss in seven games played. And he’s still just learning the position. 

“Early you saw an athletic ability and an ability to bend that is rare,” Watts said. “He can do things, as far as dropping his hip, that you haven’t seen here since probably Von Miller. And whenever you have a guy who can do that — you know the talent is there, now it’s just a matter of refining that.” 

The Broncos also have high hopes for Bonitto, who was drafted in the second round of this year’s draft out of Oklahoma. And While Bonitto had a slow start to his rookie season, not playing in the first two games, he’s recently earned more playing time. In six games played, he’s totaled 1.5 sacks and has the second-highest pass rush rating among rookies, according to Pro Football Focus. 

“I just want to continue to improve off the week’s before,” Bonitto said. “I’m playing faster and feel more comfortable. That’s been the main thing. It’s helped me in the run and the pass game. I’m being able to see things faster, which helps me make plays.” 

Bonitto, though, has struggled at times this season, especially in the run game. Part of that is Bonitto adjusting to what the Broncos are asking him to do, which is different than what he did at Oklahoma. In college, Bonitto did a lot of stunting and slanting. In Denver, he’s being asked to set the edge more often, which is a difficult thing to do at his size — 6-foot-3, 240 pounds. 

“Whenever you’re an undersized outside guy, it has to be about how you get off the football and that’s been his challenge from Day 1,” Watts said. “I think it’s done a good job of understanding that… I always compare it to my old days of teaching physics — force is mass times acceleration.

“It’s a total game of physics.” 

Good news for Bonitto, and the other young pass rushers on the Broncos, is that Watts is the one leading the charge in that room. Watts has spent most of his career coaching college football, including at UC Davis, Fresno State, Memphis and most recently Auburn. He was also once a high school coach and physics teacher. 

His familiarity with coaching college players is something that’s helped him connect in his first year with the Broncos. 

“You understand where they are in their lives and the approach you need to take,” Watts said. “Based off that experience, I’ve always been about building guys up and building confidence in the person so that they believe in themselves and know that they can make the plays. I think that approach helps no matter what, but I think it definitely helps with a younger group.”

Watts will certainly have to lean on that past experience to help his budding and talented group. And he’s confident they’re ready for the challenge of filling Chubb’s void, whether it be one of them or all of them. 

It’s now their time to make an impact. 

“There’s no egos in that room,” Watts said. “And this is really a new season for us. No more rookie ball. It’s time to go grow up and go play ball.” 

Denver Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto (42) looks on against the Minnesota Vikings during an NFL preseason football game, Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)