Florida State National Champion Eyeing New NFL Team

Former Florida State defensive back Ronald Darby is working out with the Houston Texans ahead of the 2023 NFL season.

Kade Kimble | Jul 21, 2023

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Former Florida State defensive back and national champion Ronald Darby is working out with the Houston Texans, according to Ian Rapoport. Heading into his ninth season, Darby has spent his last two seasons with the Denver Broncos.

The former second-round pick is coming off an ACL injury, but is recovering well and will continue to be a serviceable cornerback. He played a combined 16 games in the past two seasons with the Broncos, starting each of those games.

Darby has eight career interceptions with 90 pass breakups in that span. Having played with four different teams in his eight seasons, Darby should be able to easily adjust to a new defense.

The Texans provide a good landing spot for the 29-year-old. They're an up-and-coming team that just saw a coaching change and brought in two top-five picks in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Though coming off a 3-13-1 season, the Texans being under new guidance and selecting CJ Stroud, a potential franchise quarterback, could see a turnaround this season and push them closer to seeing the postseason again.

Darby also provides championship experience to any cornerback room. He won the 2013 National Championship while at Florida State, and he also won the Super Bowl in the 2018 season with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The former Seminole appeared in eight games during the team's national championship run and added 13 games to his arsenal during the next season, his final one before jumping to the NFL.

Darby finished his Florida State career with two interceptions, both during the 2013 season, 78 total tackles, and 16 pass deflections. He spent just three seasons with the team, leaving after his junior season being NFL-ready. This proved to be the right choice as he's carved out a long career for himself in the NFL, and he didn't miss out on much action with Florida State.

The cornerback also had the opportunity to take part in the first-ever College Football Playoffs with the Seminoles.

Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State football throughout the offseason.

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Published Jul 21, 2023

KADE KIMBLE

Kade has been covering a wide variety of teams ranging from the NFL to the NBA and college athletics since joining Sports Illustrated's FanNation in 2022.