With the entirety of the offseason training program in the books, the Denver Broncos are excited by what they've seen from first-round cornerback Jahdae Barron thus far. Head coach Sean Payton expressed confidence that Barron is "exactly" what the Broncos saw on tape at the University of Texas.
Barron's play at Texas spoke for itself, but there were a few connections to him ultimately landing in Denver. One of them was Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph's cousin, Terry Joseph, who served as a coordinator at Texas while Barron was there. Terry is now the New Orleans Saints' defensive pass game coordinator.
"My cousin [Terry] actually coached him for three years in college, so I watched him play for a long time," Vance said on June 11.
Joseph also touched on several of the traits that Barron displayed on tape, which, again, have been on full display this summer during the Broncos' offseason minicamps.
“I think when you watch his game in college, you see a very intelligent player. You see a guy who played multiple positions in college," Joseph said on June 11. "Corner, he played some safety, he played some nickel. He’s a very mature, smart football player... His ball skills, his Combine workout… The entire process was really buttoned up. He was a can’t-miss prospect for us.”
In the history of the NFL draft, "can't-miss" has the type of praise reserved for topline prospects, often used to describe quarterbacks, like Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck, and even Trevor Lawrence. For Joseph to utter those words before Barron has even taken an NFL snap says a lot about how fortunate the Broncos feel about landing him.
All the speculation and draft scrutiny was on the Broncos drafting an offensive weapon for Bo Nix in Round 1, especially a running back. But the Broncos fully did not expect that Barron would still be on the board at No. 20 overall. It was an easy decision for the team, as he was purportedly a top-10 prospect on Denver's board.
It may have initially ruffled a few fan feathers, and it most certainly thwarted more than a few media predictions and mock drafts, but the Broncos made no apologies. Fans began to buy into the Barron pick after watching some of his highlights on YouTube, and were relieved when the Broncos drafted running back RJ Harvey in Round 2 and wide receiver Pat Bryant in Round 3.
So where does Barron fit in on defense? He's likely to unseat Ja'Quan McMillian as the Broncos' starting nickel cornerback, sandwiching him between Patrick Surtain II and Riley Moss on the boundary.
Some theories suggest that Barron will even supplant Moss in the Broncos' base defense, then kick inside to the nickel in passing situations. Considering how comprehensive and physical Moss is in run support — a rare quality for a corner — I have a hard time seeing the Broncos taking him off the field in early-down sets.
Plus, the nickel is the Broncos' de facto base defense, anyway, with the proliferation of the passing offense throughout the NFL. If there's one Broncos cornerback who started losing sleep after April 25, it's McMillian, not Moss.
However it shakes out, the bottom line is that the Broncos believe there's more than one way to build the nest around Nix. Adding a defensive weapon of Barron's caliber — he's the reigning Jim Thorpe Award winner — can be as big of a boon to Nix as drafting a running back, wide receiver, or tight end.
Throughout a very busy and productive offseason, the Broncos may have managed to have their cake and eat it, too. Evan Engram was signed in free agency to give Nix a bona-fide tight end weapon, and we've already touched on the Harvey and Bryant additions.
Throw in the J.K. Dobbins signing during the last week of OTAs, and the Broncos managed to utilize every resource to build the nest around Nix in all three phases. That's the longview that a team nurturing championship ambitions takes.
