Eventually in the NFL, production is all that matters. Draft status comes with trimmings. Contracts can provide some level of protection. Talent buys second chances and longer runways after injuries. Ultimately, though, players who produce find their way to the field and eventually to the bank. That principle showed through as the Broncos set their long-term course at outside linebacker with a pair of consequential moves over the past three days. RELATED: Renck vs. Keeler: Can Broncos survive a loss to Chiefs and still reach the playoffs? Denver on Saturday quietly agreed to a four-year extension worth up to $60 million ($33 million guaranteed) for Jonathon Cooper and then Monday traded Baron Browning to Arizona for a 2025 sixth-round pick. The team spent months knowing it would come to an inflection point and finally reached the time to act. In the end, their long-term choice boiled down to picking between a pair of guys who had been on the same team since 2017 when Browning arrived at Ohio State. The Broncos selected Browning in the third round of the 2021 draft and then Cooper in the seventh. Like so many second- and third-day draft picks, both took time to develop. Browning started his career at inside linebacker before moving to the edge in 2022. Cooper had a heart scare after the draft and then dealt with other injuries up until the middle of the 2022 season. They both were set to become free agents after this season and both had been candidates for second contracts in Denver. Related Articles Denver Broncos | Broncos sign Jonathon Cooper to four-year extension worth up to $60 million, sources say Denver Broncos | Broncos trade OLB Baron Browning to Arizona for sixth-round pick Denver Broncos | Broncos stock report: Time for Devaughn Vele to take WR2 spot from Lil’Jordan Humphrey? Denver Broncos | Keeler: Broncos, Bo Nix exposed by Ravens as playoff pretenders, should sell at NFL trade deadline Denver Broncos | Broncos QB Bo Nix after blowout loss at Baltimore Ravens: “We got our butts kicked” Availability and production eventually carried the day for Cooper. The Gahanna, Ohio, native has played in 38 straight games for the Broncos. He’s started 30 straight and 35 of the past 36. Over that span, Cooper’s done nothing but improve. He’s always been a high-motor, high-energy player and a tough run defender. He’s also become a quality pass-rusher, if not an elite one. Cooper’s got 5.5 sacks this year and could hit double digits for the first time in his career. He’s logged 30 pressures through nine games this season and is posting a career-best 12.4% pressure rate, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. His extension is the kind that will have a 100% approval rate among teammates. “It sends a really good message around the locker room, showing guys, if you do it the right way, you’ll get rewarded,” defensive lineman Zach Allen said Monday. Browning is a naturally gifted pass-rusher and a hard-nosed worker but has struggled to stay on the field. He missed three games his rookie year, three in 2022 and then tore his meniscus during the offseason, costing him the first six games of the 2023 season. He missed seven total and then four more earlier this year due to a foot injury. When he’s on the field, Browning is a force. He can stop the run and has natural bend and pass-rush ability that jumps off the screen. The Broncos, though, picked Cooper because of his combination of ability and availability. They were able to lock him up through 2028 without paying elite money for the position. There are 20 edge players already under contract with average annual values from $15 million all the way up to Nick Bosa’s $34 million. That’s the next question regarding the Broncos’ outside linebacker room. Cooper is a terrific locker room presence, a leader and a good player. Nik Bonitto has taken another step forward as a pass-rusher in his third season and leads the team with 6.5 sacks. But is either a true cornerstone edge rusher? The Broncos have a similarly grouped set of players even after trading Browning. Bonitto was the No. 64 overall pick in 2022. Second-year man Drew Sanders, who could return from a spring Achilles tear in the coming weeks, went No. 67 in 2023. Rookie Jonah Elliss, already a solid rotation piece? No. 76 in April. The rest of the season should provide an opportunity for Elliss’ role to grow and perhaps for Dondrea Tillman to return to part-time duty. Longer-term, Cooper’s extension shouldn’t take the Broncos out of the picture for drafting an edge rusher as early as the first round next spring. They’ll need premium athletes to infuse into a mix of tough, smart, dependable players. But Cooper has earned his place at the front of the room. As of Saturday, he’s one of just three players under contract through 2028 — though quarterback Bo Nix has a fifth-year option for that season. The other two: All-Pro cornerback Pat Surtain II and right guard Quinn Meinerz, who each signed massive extensions this summer after being drafted in 2021, like Cooper. Surtain was a first-rounder, Meinerz a third-rounder and Cooper didn’t come off the board until the seventh, No. 239 overall. But he did the same thing the other two did: He showed up, produced and in the process put himself in the mix to be a foundational part of the roster for years to come. Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.