Moving along in our all-time jersey number countdown until the Chiefs’ season-opening rematch with the Houston Texans on September 10, we move down to number 93 and look at a defensive lineman, who played 9 solid seasons as one of the few bright spots on some of Kansas City’s historically bad defenses of the early 2000s.
With 93 days until the start of the 2020 NFL season, we look back at the career of former Chiefs defensive tackle John Browning, who played 9 seasons in the National Football League, spending his entire career in Kansas City.
John Browning 1996 – 1998, 2000 – 2005
John Browning was a third-round selection out of West Virginia in 1996 by head coach Marty Schottenheimer when he was in Kansas City.
During his rookie season, Browning played in 13 games and started two, recording 21 tackles and two sacks. The following season, he became the starting defensive end to replace the legendary Neil Smith, who left the Chiefs via free agency.
In 1997, Browning accounted for 33 tackles (29 solo) and four sacks as the Chiefs finished with a 13-3 record but fell to another early postseason exit at the hands of the Denver Broncos.
Browning battled back and lower body injuries during his 1998 campaign, playing in just eight games before winding up on the Chiefs injury reserve list. Despite that, he still had a solid season with 30 tackles.
Browning’s back issues would prohibit him from returning to the team in 1999 and he spent the season on IR.
In 2000, Browning returned to the field and saw a position change under head coach Gunther Cunningham, who kicked him inside to play defensive tackle. The move would benefit Browning as the 27-year-old would go on to have the best season of his career with 48 tackles (38 solo), 10 tackles for loss, and six sacks.
In 2001, Browning played just six games, accounting for 20 tackles and 1.5 sacks under new head coach Dick Vermeil before injuries once again cut his season short as he spent the rest of the ’01 season on IR.
Browning returned to full health for the 2002 season, wracking up 39 tackles and seven sacks despite playing in a defensive unit that ranked near the bottom of the league.
In 2003, Browning continued to be a run-stopping threat on Kansas City’s porous defense, making 42 tackles in 16 starts, as the Chiefs road to a 13-3 record.
Ahead of the ‘04 campaign, Browning was given a 5-year contract extension to remain in Kansas City through the 2008 season. However, Browning would play just two years into his new contract before his release from Kansas City in 2006 under head coach Herman Edwards.
Browning isn’t the biggest name in Chiefs history, but playing nine seasons in the NFL is still an impressive feat despite being apart of some historically bad defenses that will be left forgotten in NFL record books. Browning caps his career with 307 tackles (252 solo), 55 assists, 35 tackles for loss, and 27.5 sacks.
