When you put together a defense like the Denver Broncos had last year — and like the one they have this year — it comes with some issues most NFL teams never get to experience.
Those issues start with too much talent and not enough snaps or enough money to go around.
The most glaring spot where there might be some redundancy is at cornerback, where the Broncos already have the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in Patrick Surtain II and another possibly elite level starter in Riley Moss.
Then, they added another elite cornerback in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft with Jim Thorpe Award winner Jahdae Barron.
While Barron appears as advertised, he’s played primarily in the nickelback spot behind Ja’Quan McMillan, which doesn’t really tell us much because head coach Sean Payton’s depth chart never really tells the truth, and does so on purpose.
It’s impossible to tell how the Broncos might use Barron, but teams don’t spend first round picks on nickelbacks.
For Barron, it’s outside or bust. Which is why Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay proposed a trade that sends Moss to the cornerback-needy Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a 2026 fourth round pick.
“The Broncos have one of the NFL’s better defenses and are loaded with talent at the cornerback position,” Kay wrote on August 21. “The team could clear up roster space and add future assets by dealing Riley Moss — a 2023 third-rounder — to the Cowboys this offseason. While Moss is a quality corner who emerged as a starter last year, he’s a bit redundant following Denver’s decision to draft Jahdae Barron … With Dallas’ secondary facing an uncertain future due to DaRon Bland’s impending free agency and Trevon Diggs’ injury history, it would make sense to send a Day 2 pick to Denver to acquire a young, cost-controlled defensive back to build around.”
Cowboys Pay Too Much For Too Little at CB
The Cowboys are currently saddled with the very worst cornerback contract in the NFL with former NFL All-Pro Trevon Diggs.
Diggs has 4 years and $66.5 million remaining on the 5-year, $97.6 million contract extension he signed in March 2023. He had 27 interceptions through his first 3 NFL seasons and was a 2-time Pro Bowler and NFL All-Pro, but in the 2 seasons since he signed his extension Diggs has missed 21 games due to injuries.
In 2024, Diggs had 7 interceptions through 11 games before his season ended to repair cartilage damage in his knee — the same knee he tore his ACL in before Week 3 of the 2023 season.
Moss, who is due approximately $2.7 million over the next 2 seasons, is an inexpensive, high level option for when Diggs inevitably gets hurt or when Bland inevitably leaves in free agency following the 2025 season.
Moss Became Full Time Starter in 2024
Moss became a cultural oddity in 2024 as the first white guy to start at cornerback in the NFL in 22 years, although he was much more than that — he started 14 games and finished with 86 tackles, 1 interception, 8 pass deflections, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery.
While Moss had a great year, a lot of that good work was undone by how terrible he played after he missed 3 games with a knee injury and came back looking like a shell of himself.
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