The one thing no one seems to be pointing out after the Denver Broncos defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 11 for their seventh consecutive win is that the Broncos did so without arguably the best player on their roster on the field.
That’s right, the Broncos beat the Chiefs without reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year and cornerback Patrick Surtain II, who has missed the last 3 games with a pectoral strain.
That the Broncos have picked up the slack in Surtain’s absence with an undrafted free agent makes it even more amazing.
Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski called Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian the team’s “Biggest Winner” following his virtuoso performance in the 22-19 win over the Chiefs.
“Nik Bonitto, Jonathan Cooper, and the rest of Denver’s pass rush deserve a ton of credit for drawing holding penalties and keeping Patrick Mahomes out of sync all afternoon,” Sobleski wrote on Monday, November 17. “However, cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian made some of the biggest plays in the game. McMillian’s third-quarter interception just outside of the goal line took Chiefs points off the board and led to a Denver touchdown. His second sack of the day ended Kansas City’s final drive and gave the Broncos the chance to win with a walk-off field goal.”
McMillian Made Broncos as UDFA in 2022
There is no one on an NFL roster with more determination than the players who made it as undrafted free agents.
McMilliian was a 2-time All-AAC pick and All-American at East Carolina but his size — 5-foot-9 and 181 pounds combined with a less-than-ideal 4.59-second 40-yard dash time kept him from being selected.
He made the Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2022 and played in just 1 game, but played in 16 games with 3 starts in 2023 and became the team’s primary nickel cornerback late in the season. In 2024, he played in all 17 games with 9 starts and had a game-sealing 44-yard interception return for a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns as the Broncos snapped a 9-year playoff drought.
In 2025, he’s made 4 starts in 11 games — all with Surtain out — and has 6 pass deflections and 35 tackles along with 4.0 sacks.
Broncos Drafted Cornerback in First Round
The Broncos surprised draft experts when they selected Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron in the first round (No. 20 overall), with the Jim Thorpe Award winner seeming to have a gilded path to the starting lineup.
The hype on Barron got to the point there were some who thought it might have meant McMillian’s time in Denver was coming to an end.
“The Denver Broncos tendered exclusive-rights free agent Ja’Quan McMillian this offseason but could still move off of last year’s nine-game starter,” Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox wrote in May. “McMillian has been a fairly solid role player in Denver. However, the Broncos did just use a first-round pick on Jahdae Barron, who could push McMillian out of the slot role. Parting with McMillian could save just over $1 million in cap space.”
That came after McMillian famously struggled a few times in 2024.
“(McMillian) allowed a career-worst 64.4% completion rate in his coverage in 2024, per Pro Football Reference,” Heavy.com’s Josh Buckhalter wrote on April 25. “McMillian was NB1 for the Broncos last season, starting nine of his 17 games played and logging the sixth-most snaps of any Denver defender. Re-signed to a one-year, $1 million contract this offseason, McMillian could be a trade or cut candidate ahead of the regular season after the Broncos’ first draft pick.”
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