The Denver Broncos have a problem in their cornerbacks room.
In this case, it’s a problem most NFL team would love to have in that there’s too much talent and not enough roster spots.
In the frenzy before the NFL requires teams to cut down to their 53-man rosters on August 26, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell believes the Broncos could trade one of those cornerbacks, Damarri Mathis, to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for a 2026 seventh round draft pick.
The biggest problem in dealing Mathis is his salary. Even at $3.4 million that’s too much for any team to take on for a player of his caliber, so any deal for Mathis would probably include the Broncos paying at least $1 million of that deal.
For Mathis, it would mean being heading to football purgatory from a legitimate AFC contender with arguably the NFL’s best defense. The Panthers are truly one of the NFL’s worst franchises — they haven’t had a winning season since 2017 .
“Mathis’ best season came with defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero in Denver, and he hasn’t been able to reach those same heights since Evero left for Carolina,” Barnwell wrote on August 25. “The Panthers are set with Jaycee Horn, Mike Jackson and nickel corner Chau Smith-Wade as their three starting corners, but Mathis could push the 28-year-old Jackson and serve as Carolina’s primary reserve on the outside. Mathis is owed $3.4 million in 2025, so Denver might essentially buy a draft pick by eating some of that cash.”
Mathis Solidified Draft Stock With Elite 40 Time
Mathis, 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds, was an All-ACC pick at the University of Pittsburgh in 2021 with 44 tackles, 2 interceptions and 6 pass deflections, including an interception return for a touchdown.
He solidified his draft stock by running the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds at the NFL scouting combine and registering an incredible, 43.5-inch vertical leap. The Broncos selected him in the fourth round (No. 115 overall) of the 2022 NFL draft.
Mathis played in 33 out of 34 possible games his first 2 seasons with the Broncos, including 17 starts.
In 2024, he started the season on the injured reserve due to an ankle injury and only played in 10 games as Riley Moss took over the other outside starting cornerback spot opposite NFL Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II.
The Broncos doubled down at cornerback in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft by selecting Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron at No. 20 overall.
Difficult Decision on Broncos Final Roster
The Broncos have some “difficult decisions” to make on their 53-man roster before the August 26 cutdown.
ESPN’s Jeff Legwold thinks it will be touch and go with Mathis when it comes to whether or not he makes the team and left him off his final 53-man roster prediction.
In Legwold’s model, the Broncos only keep 5 cornerbacks.
“The fate of Damarri Mathis, a former Broncos draft pick, likely hinges on whether the Broncos keep a sixth cornerback or not,” Legwold wrote on August 24. “The Broncos showed so much quality at corner that some league personnel executives believe former fourth-round pick Mathis could draw some trade interest for a late-Day 3 pick. And because Barron can play in the slot, there is some belief teams might ask about (Ja’Quan) McMillian’s availability.”
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