Outlet Believes Teams ‘Could Come Calling’ for Key Broncos CB

Every summer, training camps provide NFL teams with plenty of roster clarity. While some players will rise up the depth chart, others will fall down the ranks and potentially end up elsewhere. Roster cuts and trades alike are inevitable, and there’s bound to be a shocking move from most clubs. The Denver Broncos very well could be among that group.

One outlet seems to believe so, at least. In a July 24 story for Pro Football Focus, Bradley Locker listed potential training camp trade candidates. One Bronco managed to make the cut.

Riley Moss Dubbed a Potential Trade Candidate Ahead of Season

Locker makes the case for cornerback Riley Moss to possibly be on the chopping block. Given the Broncos’ addition of Jahdae Barron in this year’s NFL Draft, Moss is no longer viewed as a lock for a starting role.

If Moss is on the outside looking in, perhaps that opens the door for an increased role elsewhere.

“In his first season as a starter, Moss produced a 56.0 PFF coverage grade with a 57.8 PFF overall grade,” Locker wrote. “Still, the Iowa product turned heads early in the year, securing three single-game 72.0-plus PFF coverage grades in the first five contests of 2024. How Denver configures its secondary will be telling for Moss’ outlook. The Broncos figure to have two good inside options in Barron and Ja’Quan McMillan, but will the Texas rookie also man the outside CB2 spot next to reigning Defensive Player of the Year Pat Surtain II? Denver may retain the 25-year-old Moss as depth, but if his role is constricted, other teams could come calling.”

After playing sparingly on defense as a rookie, Moss received a full-fledged workload in year two. In 14 regular-season starts, he recorded career-highs in tackles (86), passes broken up (8) and interceptions (1) while also recording a fumble recovery. He surrendered a 65% completion rate and a 95.4 passer rating in coverage, with his overall PFF grade ranking 119th out of 222 qualified cornerbacks.

A knee injury late in the 2024-25 campaign limited Moss’ end-of-year outlook. He simply wasn’t as effective upon returning. As a result, the former third-round pick isn’t viewed as a certain commodity early in training camp.

Assessing Broncos’ Secondary Picture With Training Camp Underway

The Moss and Barron dynamic is an interesting one. Moss is almost exclusively a boundary piece right now, having logged 728 snaps there last season compared to just 29 inside. That trend was mostly the same in college at Iowa. Barron, on the other hand, played just over 1,100 snaps on the outside at Texas but had another 900 in the slot.

Given the athletic profiles of both players – Moss is nearly two inches taller and has a very slight advantage in arm length – the case is there for Barron to be a nickel option. It’d also prevent the rookie from being given an overwhelming workload.

Elsewhere, there isn’t much to say about Surtain that hasn’t already been uttered countless times. He’s as elite as it gets at cornerback. Behind Barron and Moss on the depth chart, the trio of McMillian, Kris Abrams-Draine and Damarri Mathis figures to round things out. It’s a relatively solid cornerback group from a depth standpoint.

Safety is equally interesting. If Talanoa Hufanga can stay healthy, he’ll prove to be an excellent free agent pickup. Brandon Jones is coming off a 115-tackle effort in his debut campaign with the Broncos. That tandem is supported by Devon Key and P.J. Locke. Someone like offseason acquisition Sam Franklin Jr. may finish the group.

Removing Moss from the secondary doesn’t seem like a great idea. All it takes is one enticing offer, however, for Denver to potentially entertain it.