Broncos' recent draft pick is proving to be more than Denver's other corner
The Denver Broncos have the best cornerback in the league. Patrick Surtain has locked down everything thrown at him this year. Yes, he has allowed a few catches here and there, eight on 11 targets specifically, but he's now allowing big plays, just short throws underneath. When Garrett Wilson of the New York Jets was […]
The Denver Broncos have the best cornerback in the league. Patrick Surtain has locked down everything thrown at him this year. Yes, he has allowed a few catches here and there, eight on 11 targets specifically, but he's now allowing big plays, just short throws underneath. When Garrett Wilson of the New York Jets was lined up across from Surtain last week, he had a rough go of it all day long.
There was one other cornerback in that game that was making everything difficult for the Jets, and he's been doing it for a few weeks now. The Broncos' defense was historically bad last season, as they even gave up 70 points in one game to the Miami Dolphins. But, defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has turned things around.
As have the players. This is a young defense, with an average age of 25.75 on that side of the ball alone. According to the team's website, there is no defender on this team older than 29, and the two oldest are 29. This young defense made a huge jump from last year. They learned from their mistakes and made the improvements they have needed to make individually.
That includes second-year cornerback Riley Moss, who's had an insane jump from his rookie year to now and is now the CB2 on this team.
“I think [CB] Riley [Moss] has accelerated [his confidence]," Sean Payton said on Wednesday. "Certainly Riley’s aware of that, but I just finished telling [Owner & CEO] Greg [Penner] and [General Manager] George [Paton].
"We were just sitting there talking and I said, ‘Man, if you’re watching the film of this guy play right now, he’s playing at a high level.’ He’s long, he’s smart, and super competitive. One of the traits you have to have in that position is [at some point] you’re going to fail, and you have to dare to fail and get right back. I’m really pleased with his progress.”
Moss came into the league out of Iowa, and things didn't start as great as maybe he thought they would have. He played 21 coverage snaps last season. He played more than that, 35 to be exact, in Week 1 alone, and played 53 this last week.
When you look at Pro Football Focus, his grades are actually much better than his teammate, Surtain. The second-year cornerback has a coverage grade of 74, while Surtain has a grade of 56. Now, no, Moss is not better, but, this is a way to show just how great he is playing, and the staff sees that, too.
He will no longer be known as "the other corner in Denver." Let's see how he does against the Las Vegas Raiders, after two great weeks against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Jets.
Broncos’ Pat Surtain calls Raiders’ rivalry a ‘bloodbath’
That sums it up perfectly.
