ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Broncos moved their work to the red zone on Day 2 of training camp, and a pair of cornerbacks showed off their playmaking ability.
Both third-year cornerback Riley Moss and second-year cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine recorded multiple pass breakups on Saturday, as Denver shifted its focus to inside the 20-yard line.
Moss, who earned the starting role opposite Pat Surtain II in 2024, provided tight coverage and broke up an end-zone throw to Pat Bryant during the first 11-on-11 action of Saturday’s practice. Later, he knocked another pass away in a non-red-zone 11-on-11 period.
“He had a good season last year,” Head Coach Sean Payton said of Moss. “Look, he’s sticky. Obviously, he’s going to get a lot of traffic and a lot of balls thrown his way. I like his length and his ability to mirror and shadow. He’s a good tackler. He does a lot of things well. He’s come back in real good shape. I think we saw it in training camp last year.”
Surtain’s lockdown level of play means the Broncos’ other cornerbacks will face a high volume of passes, and Moss faced 103 targets in 14 games in 2024. Safety Brandon Jones said Moss’ mental toughness was evident during his debut season as a starter.
“You’re on an island the majority of the time,” Jones said Saturday. “You have to have that one-play-at-a-time mentality. He’s the guy who takes a lot of accountability, and he’ll take the fall if something wasn’t right, if he was in the wrong. You can see his comfort level has grown; he’s physically gifted and can do everything. I think his overall confidence and comfortability to playing in the system, I’ve seen a lot of growth from him.”
In the few games Moss missed due to injury in 2024, Abrams-Draine was among the players to fill in. The second-year cornerback played key snaps late in a win against the Browns, and he saw extensive defensive action against the Colts and Chargers. That experience, Payton said, helped propel him toward Year 2.
“That helped him, I think, a lot,” Payton said. “When you come out of your rookie year and you can come out maybe on a high note like that — and I’m talking about those last five or six weeks — I think that goes a long way. He’s getting stronger, he’s putting weight on. He’s very smart and he’s got good ball skills. I think that last quarter pole for him was real important.”
During Saturday’s practice, Abrams-Draine made his presence felt. He nearly picked off a pass in the red zone after an apparent offensive miscommunication. He also recorded a pass breakup in the end zone on a back-shoulder throw as he dislodged the ball at the final moment.