Broncos CB Riley Moss eager for tests that come with playing opposite Pat Surtain

New York Times

2 days ago

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Bo Nix had quickly moved the Broncos into scoring position during an end-of-half drill Monday and was ready to take his shot.
The second-year quarterback took a snap at the opposing 30-yard line and looked to his left, where his top target, Courtland Sutton, seemed to have daylight as he beelined toward the end zone. As Nix released the ball, though, Riley Moss calmly picked up his lengthy strides. By the time the ball was approaching Sutton's hands, Moss had made up the ground and eased himself into position to force an incompletion. Two plays later, Nix's offense was forced to settle for a Wil Lutz field goal.
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The play was a clear example of an area Moss tried to attack this offseason.
'I think the point of attack when the ball's up in the air,' Moss said on the improvement he was targeting entering his second season as Denver's starting cornerback. 'Some of those 50-50 balls, being stronger, not getting pushed off. That was a big thing for me this offseason was getting bigger, getting stronger, being able to push against the receiver and be a little bit more physical.'
There was nothing particularly spectacular about the play against Sutton. There was no diving deflection. No one-handed interception. Instead, it was the familiarity of the play that made it stand out. While throwing at Pat Surtain II remains a task dangerous enough to have made Evel Knievel blush, Broncos quarterbacks have not fared much better when throwing at his counterpart on the opposite sideline. On Monday, Moss cleanly played through the 6-foot-4, 216-pound Sutton to spoil a would-be touchdown. Last week, Moss repeatedly drew a receiver with entirely different dimensions — the speedy Marvin Mims Jr., listed at 5-11, 182 pounds — and blanketed him step for step to thwart three attempted connections, including two in the end zone.
'There's a short memory with him, not being afraid to fail and really putting it out there on the line each play,' Broncos coach Sean Payton said. 'He really has good length. I've talked about his situational awareness. He's smart, and he can tackle. All the things you're looking for in a corner. He's having another real good start to camp. He's in great shape, and I think he's got a high ceiling.'
Much of the talk about the Broncos' secondary entering training camp centered on the additions of safety Talanoa Hufanga and first-round defensive back Jahdae Barron, players who could bring coordinator Vance Joseph's defense more matchup flexibility while also injecting toughness against the run. But one of the biggest developments since preparation for the 2025 season kicked into gear late last month has been Moss' confident development as he enters his second full season as a starter.
It takes a certain mindset to play opposite Surtain, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, who teams figure to become even more hesitant to test. Moss entered his first year as a starter with the brash confidence the Broncos saw in him when they selected him with a third-round pick in 2023. He took his lumps at times, no more so than during a Week 17 loss to the Bengals, when Moss, making his return after missing three games with an MCL sprain, struggled to stay with star Bengals receiver Tee Higgins during an overtime loss for the Broncos. But the Broncos were a better defense when he was on the field.
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His rookie season didn't produce a transformative belief for Moss. It sharpened the one he already had.
'As long as I'm across from DPOY, it's going to be like that, and I love the challenge,' Moss said. 'It makes it fun. It makes it fun to come in to work knowing it's on me. I'm going to be on an island, and what can I do? That's what I think makes this game so beautiful and why I love the position that I'm in.'
• Nix was picked off twice in Monday's practice. The first came when safety Devon Key, playing in a help coverage role, dropped down to pick off a pass Nix tried to thread up the seam to Sutton. The second came when linebacker Justin Strnad dropped in coverage and picked off a pass Nix was trying to fit into Sutton in the middle of the field. The interception came on what may have been a free play, as the right side of the defensive line appeared to jump, but there were no longer referees at practice after a crew spent last weekend with the team, and the coaching staff didn't mark an infraction.
Either way, Payton was far from concerned about the turnovers after practice.
'We're charting picks here like hurricanes,' Payton said when asked about the interceptions. 'He's doing fine.'
Weather analogies aside, Payton noted one area Monday that he believes has Nix 'light years' ahead of where he was at this time last season.
'He's much further along, and what it allows him to do is message to other players in the huddle,' Payton said. 'When you first get started, you get the play and you're calling it. When you're further along, you're maybe able to talk about (a receiver's) split real quick. When you look at it, you have 12 seconds to get the play, the cadence, the snap count. Then, can you remind the back, 'Hey, you might be the primary (receiver).' It's the little reminders. He's light-years further along. He's doing well.'
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• Third-string quarterback Sam Ehlinger produced the highlight of the day when he escaped to his left to avoid pressure, turned his shoulders and hoisted a 50-yard touchdown pass to undrafted rookie wide receiver Courtney Jackson. Later, he found Michael Bandy for a deep completion and then found space in the defense to scramble for a big run.
'He's extremely athletic and he's comfortable throwing on the run,' Payton said of Ehlinger, who signed a one-year deal with the Broncos in free agency after spending his first four NFL seasons with the Colts. 'There's a little moxie to him. Sometimes it can be a little big for guys, but with him, not at all. You feel like he's a guy who has played well before. With his confidence, he carries himself that way.'
Rookie outside linebacker Que Robinson (bone bruise) and linebacker Dre Greenlaw (quad) did not practice Tuesday. Payton previously said both players could return to action this week. Linebacker Alex Singleton (broken thumb) went through warm-ups but did not participate in team drills. Singleton is expected to practice with a club on his thumb later this week.