If there was one person on the roster for the Denver Broncos who could have took exception to the team’s first round pick in 2025, it’s cornerback Riley Moss.
Moss, a 14-game starter at cornerback, is very much still on the roster and very much still listed at the top of the depth chart at the outside cornerback spot opposite reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II.
So, when the Broncos drafted cornerback Jahdae Barron at No. 20 overall, it automatically raised some eyebrows. Were the Broncos concerned over Moss’ late-season performance, when he came back from missing 3 games due to injury and looked lost?
While Barron is slotted to start at the nickel corner spot right now, he told The Denver Post’s Sean Keeler he is almost entirely focused on — excuse the cliche — being the best Riley Moss he can be headed into his third pro season and second year as a starter.
“They always say, you can either be good, or you can be great,” Moss told Keeler on June 11 during Broncos’ mandatory minicamp. “I want to be great. That’s what’s going to make me great.”
That version of Moss also includes 10 extra pounds of muscle after a brutal offseason training regimen — something Keeler discovered in his interview.
“Moss was coming off the busiest season — Pro Football Focus charted the ex-Iowa star as facing the 10th-highest QB target rate (18.01%) last fall among starting NFL corners — of his football life,” Keeler wrote.”Over the three December games the former Hawkeye missed with a knee issue, the Broncos gave up an average of 300 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and 26.3 points. And his bosses were already grooming a potential replacement?”
Big Hopes for Barron on Broncos’ Elite Defense
At almost every position on the Broncos’ defense, there’s not just depth but elite talent — almost every position group, there is an NFL All-Pro, Pro Bowler or player with that potential.
At cornerback, the fiercest battle might be between Barron and Moss for the starting outside cornerback spot.
“Barron, the No. 20 pick, will immediately battle Riley Moss to start opposite Pat Surtain II in Denver,” ESPN’s Mike Clay wrote on May 21.
Clay predicted Barron will lead all NFL rookies in interceptions and finish second in tackles. “This Is Football” podcast host Kevin Clark put Barron at the top of his list of “Instant Impact Rookies” on April 30.
“(Barron) has enough versatility to line up at corner, safety, slot outside and is a dime linebacker,” Clark said. “He can kind of do everything. And I’m already looking at this Denver defense and seeing where he’s going to fit in really easily and there’s playmakers all over the place … I’m having a hard time seeing Barron not being an instant impact star and that Broncos team winning a bunch of games this year.”
Moss is in the third season of his 4-year, $5.4 million rookie contract. With a big year, he could set himself up for a big extension from the Broncos or a lucrative contract from another team in free agency in 2027.
