Denver Broncos Position Preview: Cornerbacks

For the last two decades, the Broncos have been known for having great Cornerbacks. From Champ Bailey to Chris Harris Jr. and Aqib Talib, Denver can always count on having a lockdown CB in that defense. Today they may have the best in franchise history with Patrick Surtain II. However, outside of PS2, there are question marks in that group. So, let’s get into the Denver Broncos Position Preview: Cornerbacks.

Denver Broncos Position Preview: Cornerbacks:

Projected Starters:

Outside CB: Patrick Surtain II

This is arguably the easiest projected starter on this team. Since coming into the NFL, people knew he was going to be special, and he has not disappointed. He has given up a completion percentage of 51% and 58.4% in his two seasons in the NFL so far.

He is also doing it against some of the best Wide Receivers in the NFL too. Just last season, he only had one game where he gave up 80 or more yards when targeted, and that was to Davante Adams, one of the best WRs in the league. Other than that, he gave up only 35 yards to D.K. Metcalf in week one, 0 Yards against Deebo Samuel in week three, 0 against Keenan Allen in week six, and 0 against Keenan Allen again in week 18.

More than the low completion rate, and the lack of yards allowed, the main reason why Surtain is gaining respect as one of the best CBs in the league is he is gaining the reputation as a CB you do not throw against. He only got targeted ten or more times once last season. As long as Surtain can stay healthy, it is safe to say that Denver is set at one CB spot.

 

Outside CB: Damarri Mathis

This is probably the only spot up for grabs, but only because of the addition of Riley Moss in the draft. However, based on how he ended last season, Mathis is almost a lock to get the other starting spot outside.

It took him a while to find his footing and get his chance, but due to an injury to Ronald Darby, Mathis finally got his shot. The fourth-rounder out of Pittsburgh had a rough start to his career, giving up 94 yards on nine completions against the Colts in week five. He followed that up with a four-penalty performance, all of which being Pass Interference penalties, against the Charger in his first career start.

After that, he settled in very nicely. While his completion percentage and rating against do not look great, he never gave up more than 75 yards after week five and showed great ability in man coverage. The one area that really needs to be cleaned up is the tackling. He missed 15 tackles last season. If he can show more willingness in that department, he has shown the ability to be a quality CB opposite of Surtain II.

 

Slot/Nickle CB: K’Wuan Williams

K’Wuan has been quietly performing as one of the best Slot CBs in the NFL over the last couple of seasons. Last season, he had arguably a career year in coverage. He gave up a career-low 59.6% when targeted and a rating of 69.3. He also did all of that with a broken hand all season, making his performance almost more impressive.

He also has proven to be one of the best blitzing CBs in the league, continuing his streak of now four seasons in a row with at least one sack. His willingness to be physical in the run game and ability to get to the QB has given the Broncos a very versatile way to play in the secondary.

At 31, he is getting up there in age and while he may not be a long-term part of the secondary for Denver, for just this season he gives the Broncos a very solid trio of CBs. This group only missed four games combined last season, so if that can continue, the starting group is well-rounded and solid.

 

Depth Players: Riley Moss, Essang Bassey, Tremon Smith, Art Green

Even though he is only a rookie, do not be surprised if we see a lot of Moss this season. At 23 years old, he was one of the most experienced CBs in this last Draft, with five years of playing time. In those five years, he had 11 interceptions, three of them going for TDs.

He was one of the most athletic CBs in this draft too, and at 6’1” and 195 pounds, he has incredible size. At Iowa, like most CBs coming from there, he excelled in Zone coverage, which mixes in nicely with the Man Coverage ability of Surtain and Mathis. The hard part for him is finding where on the field he can find snaps. He played almost exclusively Outside, which means he’ll be the third CB to start the season.

Bassey is on his second stint with Denver after being a Charger in 2021. While he has not had the most opportunity to get playing time in his career, he provides Denver with a player in the Slot that they believe can do an adequate job. While it is a long shot for him to get meaningful snaps, with the current depth at CB, he is the only one outside of K’Wuan with significant snaps at Slot.

Tremon Smith has been brought in mostly for return purposes. He will be giving Montrell Washington competition for the Punt and Kick returning jobs. He does have a career of 24.7 yards per kick return, so expect him to make an impact on special teams. However, he is also coming off his most productive season as a CB in his career and could see the field if injuries come up.

He may be undrafted, and it is a long shot for him to get playing time, but Art Green is a player to keep an eye on this season. He has great size at 6’2” and 200 pounds, and at 23, he had a ton of playing time in college. In his three seasons starting in Houston, he gave up a career 54.3 completion percentage and increased his Interceptions and Pass Break Ups every year. He may be last on the depth chart, but keep an eye on Green this season.

 

Position Expectations:

This group has their work cut out for them this season. With the franchise having one of the best CB groups for more than a decade, that is the expectation. With the division having some of the best QBs and WRs in the league, it is not going to be a cakewalk for Denver. While it is young and they do not have a ton of experience, I do expect this group to be very good this season. They have the talent and mix of skill sets to give Denver a great season if they do not run into health issues. My biggest concern with this group is the lack of solid depth, but the top end is very solid.