ENFIELD, U.K. — Riley Moss is playing good football.
That’s the overall summation from Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph regarding his third-year corner.
Moss, though, has room to improve despite good numbers overall and the inevitable ups and downs that come with being among the most targeted players in football.
Moss acknowledged he made a mental mistake when he pressed Philadelphia’s DeVonta Smith on a third-and-17 and gave up a 52-yard completion. He also got flagged for pass interference and just generally did not have his sharpest game.
“Riley is so competitive; sometimes he doesn’t play to the plan early,” Joseph said Thursday. “That’s my problem with Riley. But Riley competes against anyone we put him on. That’s Riley’s best trait. He’s so strong and so mentally strong that he doesn’t flinch.”
Joseph said Moss loves playing one-on-one so much and wants every matchup that sometimes he doesn’t do a good enough job of putting himself in good positions and makes life harder on himself than it needs to be.
“He has to understand what’s happening around him,” Joseph said. “Obviously, Pat’s opposite of him, so he’s getting the most targets. It’s my job to educate him more on certain calls to kind of hide him a little bit and not just go press or give up fades and challenge fades all day. That’s tough to do that in this league.
“As he grows as a player and I help him more with calls — he has to understand how to play the calls and how to work the game plan to his benefit, and that’s an ongoing process. He’s getting better each week. Hopefully this week he can improve in that area.”
The Broncos have an interesting matchup this week at receiver. Pat Surtain II is likely to be matched with New York Jets star Garrett Wilson, but the receiver with the second-most targets for Aaron Glenn’s team is former Bronco Josh Reynolds, with just nine.
That could allow Denver to mix and match on third down, considering New York rookie tight end Mason Taylor is off to a strong start with 20 catches for 175 yards.
Joseph says Moss will be ready for whatever the staff asks him to do.
“(Moss) never backs down from anyone, and he wants the one-on-ones all the time, but it’s not always smart to play that way,” Joseph said. “We’re growing together as coaches and players, and I’ll figure it out for him and he’ll figure it out for me.
“He’ll play good football for us.”
Familiar situation. A year ago, the Broncos logged an uplifting win on the road against an NFC team and then decamped to a remote location for a practice week to prepare for the New York Jets.
If that sounds familiar, there’s a reason.
Denver last year parlayed a win against Tampa Bay and a stay in West Virginia into a rain-soaked, 10-9 win against the Jets.
This year, they came from 14 down to polish off defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia, flew the same night to England, and now are preparing to take on the Jets at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
A year ago, New York still had hope in Week 4 with Aaron Rodgers at the helm and a stout defense.
This year, Aaron Glenn’s first team is 0-5, the last remaining winless team in football.
“I think in the league, quite honestly, it’s a little disrespectful to consider anybody a trap team,” quarterback Bo Nix said. “They’re an NFL team, and they’re going to have some really good players on their defense. It’s not really a trap game.”
Elliss still out. The Broncos could be without second-year pass-rusher Jonah Elliss against the Jets on Sunday.
Elliss didn’t practice on Thursday, the second straight day he’s been out. Unlike Wednesday, when he did work on the side field, the 2024 third-round pick out of Utah was not spotted during the portion of practice open to reporters.
If Elliss is inactive on Sunday, it could mean the first game day activation for rookie outside linebacker Que Robinson.
“Que’s had great weeks of practice and he’s ready to go,” Joseph said. “We’ll see how the roster shapes up and if Jonah really is out. Que’s ready if he has to go in and play for us. He has the traits that we like, he’s had good weeks of practice, and he can also play teams.
Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.