ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Riley Moss did everything but catch the ball.
The second-year cornerback Friday was in coverage against rookie wide receiver DeVaughn Vele during a seven-on-seven drill when he detected a break toward the sideline. Jarrett Stidham tried to fire the ball into the tight window for Vele, but Moss had quickly erased it, swatting the pass away and nearly intercepting it as it dropped toward the ground.
It was a microcosm of how the first three days of training camp have gone for the Denver Broncos. The three quarterbacks battling for the starting job — Stidham, Bo Nix and Zach Wilson — haven’t thrown an interception to this point, but that doesn’t mean they’ve had an easy time completing passes. The one-on-one battles down the field have largely been won by a secondary that underwent a significant and calculated shift this offseason.
“We just felt strongly like it was one area,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said, “where A. we wanted to be younger, and B. we wanted more competition.”
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The Broncos released safety Justin Simmons this offseason after letting go of his longtime teammate Kareem Jackson late in 2023. They moved on from veteran cornerback Fabian Moreau. Denver then signed 26-year-old Brandon Jones in free agency and drafted cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine. Moss, cornerback Damarri Mathis, safety JL Skinner and, when healthy, safety Caden Sterns, are all players on rookie contracts who have a chance to step into big roles in Denver’s defense this season.
Moss, in particular, represents Payton’s hope for more ball production, an injection of speed and athleticism. The Broncos not only drafted Moss in the third round out of Iowa in 2023 but they also traded a third-round pick in April’s draft to move up and select him. Moss’ chances of making an immediate defensive impact as a rookie were torpedoed when a core muscle injury wiped out much of his first offseason with the Broncos. He found a role on special teams as a hard-to-contain gunner on the punt team, but his behind-the-scenes-growth defensively is what most excited Denver’s coaching staff.
Moss entered the offseason program healthy — save for a brief bout with back spasms — and put together a strong string of OTA practices. When training camp started, it was Moss lining up opposite All-Pro corner Pat Surtain II, who has seen a rotating cast of players in that spot since he came into the league in 2021.
“One of the things we felt strongly about was, first, seeing Riley’s development,” Payton said. “We’ve got some young players here we’ve invested in. The reps they’re getting now outside have been really valuable.”
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Payton knew he wanted a younger group in the secondary after last season. He also wanted a coach for the group who could thrive as a teacher with that young group. So when Christian Parker left for a job on Vic Fangio’s defensive staff in Philadelphia, the Broncos brought in Jim Leonhard. The one-time Broncos safety had originally been a target of Payton’s last offseason, just after he took the job as Denver’s coach. Leonhard was recovering from hip replacement surgery and elected to stay off the sidelines last season, spending the year as a consultant at the University of Illinois.
Leonhard enjoyed what he labeled as a “reset year” in 2023. But when Payton called again in February, offering a job on Denver’s defensive staff as its passing-game coordinator, “It was hard to turn down twice.”
Leonhard has preached versatility with his group. Jones said he was largely viewed as a box safety during his four seasons with the Miami Dolphins. When he arrived in Denver after signing a three-year, $20 million in March, he was excited to learn his role would expand, offering him “more freedom to be in the middle of the field.” (Jones “tweaked” his hamstring during Friday’s practice, Payton said, and will undergo testing to determine the severity of the injury.)
“Whether it’s flexibility between corners, safeties being able to play outside, inside, you can’t hide,” Leonhard said. “You can’t hide guys anymore. You have to be able to communicate and think. If you can’t play inside the numbers, they just put their best receiver in there and work those matchups. So that’s a big emphasis as far as Vance (Joseph) and his defense. I was a guy throughout my career that had to do a little bit of everything. (I) try to get that across to our players, and I’m excited for that challenge.”
There was plenty of blame to be shared for the Broncos’ calamitous defensive start in 2023 when the unit gave up a league-high 200 points while dragging Denver to a 1-5 record. But the secondary was certainly part of the issue. It led to experimentation with the personnel and the Broncos uncovered a gem in second-year player Ja’Quan McMillian. Stepping into the nickel role in place of Essang Bassey, McMillian demonstrated a keen nose for the ball that helped spark Denver’s midseason flurry of takeaways.
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Moss could be the next young player to step into a starting role in Denver’s secondary. So far this offseason, he has looked the part.
“He is an exceptional athlete,” Joseph said of Moss. “He makes it look easy. He’s really smooth, he’s mature, he’s smart, he has great size and great ball skills. When you watch him play, it looks really easy and he’s always in a comfortable position.”
If the first three days of training camp are an indication, the rest of the reshaped defensive backfield is making strides, too.
“I like how that secondary is playing overall compared to a year ago,” Payton said.
Here are some takeaways from Friday’s training camp practice:
• Garett Bolles has been the Broncos’ starting left tackle since he was taken in the first round of the 2017 draft. Now, he’s entering the final year of the contract extension he signed in 2020, and the 32-year-old is leaving no doubt as to how he hopes the next phase of his career plays out.
“I want to play my whole career here,” he said Friday. “The front office knows that. They know I want to be a Bronco for life. My family is here and established here. We love it here. We don’t want to go anywhere else. My job is to just play good football and the ball is in their court. I just have to do my job and the rest will take care of itself.”
Both Payton and general manager George Paton this offseason have noted Bolles’ athleticism. They aren’t concerned about an athletic falloff now that he’s entering his eighth season. Payton has challenged Bolles, though, to be more precise in his craft.
“I’d say if there’s one area that he’s working on daily with (offensive line coach) Zach (Strief), it’s landmarks in the run game,” Payton said. “He’s very natural at pass protection. Getting to the right pad placement in the run game, whether he’s play side or on the backside, I think some of those things are areas that he’s worked quite a bit on.”
• Outside linebacker Nik Bonitto worked on a side field during a second straight practice as he deals with an undisclosed injury, but Payton said there’s no concern about the third-year player.
“You’ll see him practicing (Saturday),” Payton said.
(Photo of Riley Moss: Ellen Schmidt / Associated Press)
