The Denver Broncos went into training camp this summer with Riley Moss and Damarri Mathis competing for the team’s No. 2 cornerback spot across from star Pat Surtain. Moss seemed to be leading the competition going into the final week of preseason, then Mathis suffered an ankle injury that landed him on injured reserve.
So while the Broncos have not officially announced it yet — an updated depth chart should be released next week — Moss is expected to start this season. He will be the only white starting cornerback in the NFL.
“He’s an extremely athletic player, you know, he gets a lot of flak for being one of the only white corners in the league, I get it,” Denver coach Sean Payton said during an interview with Kay Adams two weeks ago.
Moss was picked by the Broncos in the third round of last year’s NFL draft out of Iowa. After undergoing core muscle surgery in the offseason, he was limited to mostly special teams duties as a rookie. Now entering his second season, Moss is poised to start across from Surtain.
“Obviously, I think he’s got a little chip on his shoulder,” Surtain told Adams. “Because there’s a motto out there saying that there’s only three white corners in the NFL, so everybody’s going to be like, ‘Oh, man, let’s see what he got.”
Everyone seems impressed with 2nd year corner Riley Moss .. could he earn the gig opposite Surtain in Denver?
And yes an obligatory Jason Sehorn nod. pic.twitter.com/Z3Oe8tsCBM
— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) August 15, 2024
The NFL’s last white cornerback to start consistently was Jason Sehorn, who overlapped with Payton while the coach was a QBs coach and later an offensive coordinator with the New York Giants from 1999-2002.
“Jason, uniquely, was different,” Payton said after drafting Moss in 2023. “Jason played safety in college. That’s an unusual conversion, regardless of who you are and where you’re from. He moved from safety to corner.
“He was a fantastic athlete. The closer to the receiver, the better for him. It’s too easy to say does [Moss] remind you of Jason. I would say there’s other corners we compare him to.”
Sehorn spent nine seasons in the NFL, starting 76 games. Moss is poised to make his first NFL start against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1 on Sept. 8. Let’s see what he got.
