Broncos Key Cornerback Is Stepping Up To Earn An Extension

The Denver Broncos are different. Most teams struggle when they lose a key cornerback, as depth at the position tends to be thin throughout the NFL. 

But the Broncos have managed to stay afloat and then some despite losing starting cornerback Pat Surtain II to an ankle injury and having their second corner back, Riley Moss, out for much of the time due to a rib injury that severely limited his snap count. 

So how did they do this? One answer would be Ja’Quan McMillian, who stepped up with a big interception late. But McMillian has been doing a lot more than that, as Moss lauded McMillian for taking charge and making the right calls, stating that the Broncos wouldn’t be able to implement a lot of the exotic blitz calls of defensive coordinator Vance Joseph without McMilliam making both plays and calls. 

Moss also called McMillian “the brains of the operation,” which had columnist Sean Keeler of the Denver Post calling for owner Greg Penner to sign McMillian to an extension. 

He’s not wrong about this. The Broncos went into this season wit three cornerbacks competing for playing time, with Moss, McMillian and former first-round pick Jahdae Barron being the trio in question. 

Moss’s situation is still up in the air, in part due to his injury, but Moss also had a rough season last year and he was just starting to recover and make plays. Barron, meanwhile, continues to be a disappointment, as he was beaten in coverage multiple times against the Seattle Seahawks and also missed a couple of key tackles. 

But McMillian is a playmaker. The Broncos already knew that based no the big interception he made during their victory in the divisional round win last year against the Buffalo Bills. 

Now he’s doing more of the same, and it was exactly what Denver needed during their 17-14 overtime win against the Seahawks on Thursday night. McMillian noted that quarterback Sam Darnold “just kind of threw the ball up,” which was an accurate description, but the Broncos still needed someone to step up and make the play. 

He added that the turnover wasn’t “something I go chase,” but the cornerback has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. 

What’s interesting about the extension possibility is the timing here. The Broncos are one of the few teams that consistenly does big extensions during the season, and they now know the man they should pay if they decide to do that this year.