Broncos' 2nd-Year CB Riley Moss Emerging as Legit Starter Opposite PS2

The Denver Broncos may finally have clarity at No. 2 cornerback.

Sep 15, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos cornerback Riley Moss (21) reacts to an injury after a tackle in the second quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Empower Field at Mile High. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos entered the 2024 season with more questions than answers on the roster. Without a doubt the biggest question that is still far from being answered is figuring out whether rookie Bo Nix is capable of being a long-term franchise quarterback for the organization.

That remains the most important thing for Denver to attempt to figure out this season, perhaps even more important than squeaking into the playoffs with a team feeling the dead-cap ramifications of the Russell Wilson release and so little premium selections on the roster (only five first-round picks on this roster in total).

Finding out whether Nix can become a quality quarterback for the Broncos isn’t the only area George Paton, Sean Payton, and the decision-makers will hope to find answers throughout this season. 

Given Denver has so much dead cap, is dealing with the downstream effects of prior trades (trading up in the draft multiple times in 2023, acquiring Wilson, trading for Payton, and is still paying for several bad draft classes toward the end of John Elway’s tenure as the GM), the Broncos have a vast number of relatively inexperienced young players playing key roles on Sundays.

Can a young receiver step up out of Devaughn Vele, Troy Franklin, and Marvin Mims Jr. to help give Nix another weapon to complement the veterans? Can Denver find anything from the tight end position from Greg Dulcich or other young options?

Will Luke Wattenberg grow this season, or will he continue to be one of the worst centers in football, leaving a gaping hole on the expensive offensive line? Can any rookie contract running back do something?

Unfortunately, through three games, the Broncos have not had positive results from most young options on the offensive side of the ball. There is a lot of football to go luckily.

Thankfully, the defense has been on the other end of the spectrum for Denver. Zach Allen is playing at a Pro Bowl level, Jonathon Cooper is so disruptive it might make sense to get him locked up to stay in Denver before free agency, Jonah Elliss and Nik Bonitto also look formidable in the edge room.

Ja'Quan McMillian appears to have recaptured some of his mid-2023 season play after tailing off last year. The one unknown, though, thrust into an incredibly important spot that has emphatically flashed ability and competence through the start of the season is second-year starting boundary cornerback Riley Moss. 

After trading up with the Seattle Seahawks to the 83rd overall selection in the 2023 draft, giving up the 108th selection in 2023 and a 2024 third-rounder that would end up as pick 81 overall, Denver selected the sturdy, ball-hawking Moss out of the University of Iowa. While Iowa had produced several solid defensive players over the last decade under defensive coordinator Phil Parker, the boundary cornerback position had been one of misfires.

Josh Jackson, Desmond King, and Michael Ojemudia were all solid cornerbacks for Iowa in college. Still, none seemed to translate to the NFL in large part due to the scheme Iowa had run historically.

Plenty of solid defensive backs from the Hawkeyes had translated to safety or slot such as aforementioned King, Micah Hyde, Geno Stone, Armani Hooker, and Dane Belton. Still, the boundary corner spot has been one spot where Iowa cornerbacks were unable to hang playing in the league.

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Through three games though, it does appear like Moss is set to break that trend. Measuring at 6-foot-2, 193 pounds with tremendous speed at a 4.45-second 40 time, a 1.48-second 10-yard split, a 39-inch vertical jump, and a 127-inch broad jump, Moss tested tremendously in all areas outside of his arm length at a very short (8th percentile) 30 inches.

Perhaps that lack of length has shown itself a few times as Moss had had nearly perfect coverage and positioning, but the ball manages to squirt past him for a hard-fought completion. Overall, the play on the field has matched Moss’ athletic testing numbers.

While Moss may not have good measurable length, he has good mass for a cornerback. That has shown itself on the field as he has been a very solid tackler through three games.

Moss has been credited with 16 tackles so far this year via Pro Football Focus and has missed just two in contrast to five run stops. The Broncos are still awaiting Moss’ first career interception, something he did 11 times for the Hawkeyes, including returning three for touchdowns. He did force his first fumble last this week on an excellent tackle.

The sample size is very small and cornerback can be a very fickle position, but to date, Moss has answered the call on what is one of the hardest tasks in the NFL: playing cornerback opposite arguably the best in football — Patrick Surtain II.

Despite being targeted 16 times this season, Moss has only surrendered 100 yards and just 30 yards after completion. These stats may seem ordinary until you consider the fact that Denver is playing man coverage as much as any team in the NFL outside of Jacksonville and is blitzing at the highest rate in the league.

In other words, Moss is not getting nearly the help in coverage teams utilizing more passive rush and cover schemes are calling, and the ramifications of a missed tackle and allowing YAC are far more dire with more bodies rushing in front of him and fewer bodies providing help in coverage behind him.

Will Moss be able to keep up his performances, including being PFF’s highest graded corner in the entire NFL week 3 at 91.1? Maybe, maybe not.

Moss has been healthy so far this season but he missed time in college and much of his rookie season with injury. Injury at the cornerback position can be argued is more detrimental than almost any other sport given the type of quick-twitch open space reactionary athleticism required to play the position (and one reason play at the position tends to fall off a cliff as they age).

Bottom Line

The Broncos have question after question on the roster entering this season with more uncertainty than answers at a number of positions through the first three weeks of the season. Finding a cornerback worthy of playing opposite Surtain could have been argued as one of the most important questions on the roster going forward, outside of everything involving Nix and the quarterback position.

There is a lot of football yet to be played this season. Still, the returns on Denver trying to find an additional boundary cornerback on the roster (and one on a rookie contract with control through 2026 at that) appear to be trending very positively for Moss.

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