Reigning DPOY Pat Surtain II and rookie Jahdae Barron headline a Broncos cornerback room that could be elite this upcoming season

The Denver Broncos cornerback room has the potential to be elite this upcoming season.

The Denver Broncos‘ cornerback unit was among the best in the entire NFL last season. Pat Surtain II is your reigning AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Riley Moss and Ja’Quan McMillian made plays throughout the year, and rookie Kris Abrams-Draine showed some promise late in the year. When heading into the offseason, there were not many who expected the Broncos to make a major addition to their cornerback room.

Well, they did.

With their 20th overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos selected Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron. He was viewed as a potential top-10 selection and ended up being the first pure cornerback off the board in the draft. He was the heart and soul of the Texas Longhorns defense, and now will be a key member of the Broncos’ secondary.

The addition of Barron deepens an already talented Broncos cornerback room that includes Surtain, Moss, McMillian, Abrams-Draine, and others. If all goes well, this unit has the chance to be the best cornerback unit in the entire NFL and give the already talented Broncos defense an elite secondary to work with.

With all that said, let’s take a look at the Broncos’ cornerbacks and their roles, expectations, and chances of making the team as we approach the start of training camp.

Starters

Pat Surtain II – DPOY | CB1 | Elite

PS2 is your reigning AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year winner, the best cornerback in the league, and arguably, one of the best defensive and overall players in the league. The Broncos signed him to a long-term extension last season, and he will be locking down the league’s top receivers in the Mile High City for the foreseeable future.

As for this year, he will be looking to win back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards while being the face of the Denver Broncos defense. If the Broncos and their defense live up to the lofty expectations placed on them, he has a real shot at doing so.

Jahdae Barron – The exciting rookie

As I mentioned, Barron was the Broncos’ first-round selection during April’s NFL Draft and gives this unit and potential stud to pair with PS2. Head Coach Sean Payton has mentioned that Barron has inside and outside versatility and simply is not just a slot corner. He was used all over the Texas secondary and was their version of a ‘Joker’, but on the defensive side of the ball. So, it will be interesting to see how Payton and the Broncos plan on using him moving forward.

Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post

By all accounts, Barron has quickly impressed the coaches and teammates during the offseason workouts and likely will be a standout performer during training camp. If that’s the case, he could leapfrog Riley Moss as the Broncos’ CB2. Either way, Barron is going to be a key member of this secondary and hopefully gives the Broncos another stud cornerback in their secondary.

Riley Moss – X-Factor

Moss earned the starting job last season and played fairly well before suffering a knee injury that sidelined him for four weeks. When he did return, he was welcomed back by the high-powered Bengals passing offense that abused him for over 100 yards and 2 touchdowns. This left a sour taste in the mouth of Broncos fans and one that many still have currently.

I call him the X-Factor because he controls how good this secondary can be. PS2 is elite, and let’s say that Barron lives up to the hype. That puts a lot of pressure on Moss to step up his game. Teams are going to test him early and often to see if the Bengals’ performance was just rust or if he truly is a liability in the Broncos’ secondary. However, if he does perform well, the Broncos could have a repeat of the “No Fly Zone” that helped lead the Broncos to a Super Bowl 50 victory.

Intriguing backups

Ja’Quan McMillian – What do they do with him?

McMillian was the Broncos’ starting slot corner for the past two seasons and, overall, played fairly well. He was always a standout player during training camp and has made some big plays in coverage during his two seasons as a starter. Now, he did have some struggles, especially last season, but he has proven he is a starting-caliber slot corner in the NFL. However, the selection of Jahdae Barron likely cost him his starting job. While Barron has inside and outside versatility, he is likely going to play a good bit of slot corner. So, where does that leave McMillian?

Right now, he is likely the CB4 for the Broncos and probably not pushing Moss for snaps since he plays primarily slot corner. If the Broncos were to play a lot of Dime looks, he could still see snaps, outside of that, he is likely on the bench. Teams are always searching for corner depth, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the Broncos would listen to trade offers for him, considering their depth. However, having cornerback depth could be more important to them than getting some value for him. A lot of that depends on the next player we are going to talk about.

Kris Abrams-Draine -The Dark Horse

After Moss went down and the Broncos watched Levi Wallace get burned by the Browns, the team turned to rookie Kris Abrams-Draine. The rookie stepped in and earned significant playing time during a key stretch for the Broncos and performed well, in my opinion.

He didn’t stand out as a weakness, made some good plays in coverage, and even intercepted Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, who only threw 3 interceptions(in the regular season). Before the team drafted Barron in the first round, I viewed KAD as someone who could push McMillian or Moss for playing time this season. The Barron addition obviously changed things, but I could still see him pushing McMillian and hell, even Moss, for some playing time.

Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post

Abrams-Draine, having a good summer, could allow the Broncos to shop McMillian around and give them insurance if Moss’s struggles continue. He is my dark horse to watch in this group.

The Rest

Damarri Mathis – The end of the line?

The former 4th-round selection has fallen out of favor with the Broncos and is in jeopardy of losing his spot on the 53-man roster. After he showed some promise as a rookie, he has struggled ever since and has been a backup and played primarily special teams since. Now, with the cornerback room getting deeper, Mathis is on the hot seat.

His saving grace could be the Broncos dealing Ja’Quan McMillian, which would open up a roster spot. We don’t know how likely that is right now, so how realistic that scenario is remains to be seen.

Taylor Reese – Practice squad slot corner

Reese was the Broncos’ backup slot corner last season but spent the majority of the season on the practice squad. I believe his odds of making the 53-man roster are rather slim, but a strong summer could land him back on the practice squad, where he serves as some slot corner depth for the team.

Like Mathis, what happens with McMillian could factor into this as well.

Quinton Newsome – Practice squad

Newsome was signed as an undrafted free agent last season and was eventually signed on to the Broncos’ practice squad. He spent the entire year there, and the reality is that it is probably where he lands again this season.

If he has a strong summer AND the Broncos deal McMillian, he could leapfrog Mathis as the Broncos CB5, but that doesn’t seem likely right now.

Mario Goodrich – Dondrea Tillman 2.0?

The Broncos signed former UFL player Dondrea Tillman last offseason, and he went on to be a key rotational pass rusher for their defense and totaled 5 sacks. Now, former UFL player Mario Goodrich, who signed with the Broncos this offseason, will look to follow in his footsteps.

Goodrich does have some NFL experience with the Eagles and Giants, but will really need to have a strong summer if he wants to stick around with the Broncos. Right now, the practice squad seems like the best case scenario for him.

Jaden Robinson and Joshua Pickett – The UDFA’s

I lumped them together because they’re both in the same boat. They’re buried on the depth chart and really do not have many avenues at a realistic shot at making the 53-man roster. So, both players are competing against each other and other roster bubble players for a spot or two on the Broncos’ practice squad.

I would love to eat my words here if one of them becomes the next Chris Harris Jr., but we will just have to wait and see.

Final Thoughts

Barring any unfortunate injuries, the Broncos’ cornerback room is probably all but set. PS2, Barron, Moss, and Abrams-Draine are likely all making the team with McMillian potentially on the trade block. If McMillian stays, I don’t see the team keeping more than 5, maybe 6 cornerbacks on the roster. So, all the players on the bubble or on the outside looking in currently are competing for maybe one spot on the 53-man roster and maybe two spots on the practice squad. You have to factor outside additions as well here, but the point remains.

This is a good problem to have, as the Broncos’ cornerback room has the potential to be elite this year. PS2 repeating as DPOY, Barron being the DROY, and the Broncos secondary leading them to a deep postseason run would be pretty great.

How everything shakes out for the final few spots on the roster and practice squad will be interesting to watch in the coming weeks. Add in the question of them potentially trading away McMillian, and the cornerback room is one of the more exciting groups to watch as we head into training camp.