Broncos position preview: DPOY Pat Surtain II, first-rounder Jahdae Barron give Denver enviable CB depth

Ninth in a series previewing the Broncos roster in the weeks leading up to the start of training camp in late July In the modern day Cornerbacks Previously Quarterbacks Running backs Wide receivers Tight ends Offensive line Defensive line Outside linebackers Inside linebackers On the roster Pat Surtain II Riley Moss Jahdae Barron Ja Quan McMillian Kris Abrams-Draine Damarri Mathis Reese Taylor Quinton Newsome Joshua Pickett Jaden Robinson Mario Goodrich How a large number of on the - The Broncos are set on the top line with one of the best starting groups in the NFL regardless of who wins the nickel job They figure to end up a little bit heavy at either corner or safety but allegedly not both That will come down to back-of-the-roster positioning and who special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi wants as core players for his unit Those questions certainly matter over the program of a season A couple of guys left off the -man roster will certainly be practice squad candidates but in the front of the room Denver s got enviable talent led by reigning NFL Defensive Sportsman of the Year Pat Surtain II Moss had a really good second season before a knee injury slowed him down the stretch McMillian s gone from undrafted free agent to proven commodity in the slot And there s depth too Majority of impactful offseason move Drafting Barron No overall That depth is led by the Broncos new first-round pick the versatile Barron He could well end up being a starter more on that later but at the very least his selection sends a message from head coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton Just because the secondary was good last year doesn t mean there s satisfaction Corners and nickels are premium players in this day s NFL The Broncos think they landed another in Barron Building on a strength comes with the natural jeopardy that an area of relative weakness doesn t get addressed but in this incident Denver felt Barron was too good to pass up Now they should deploy one of the majority talented versatile cornerback corps in the NFL Biggest question to answer in camp Can Moss build on his standout second season Moss rookie year in was impacted from the start by core muscle surgery that cost him largest part of his first training camp By the end of Year he was a good special teams athlete In Year he competed with Levi Wallace in camp for a starting job and won it but entered the fall as something of a question mark The third-round pick out of Iowa however put together a terrific second season At least until December Then a knee injury cost him three games and he got worked over in his return after Christmas by Cincinnati star Tee Higgins Moss should be back to full speed this fall and whether he builds on Year and turns himself into a true upper-level contestant will go a long way in determining just how frightening this group will be One thing that isn t a question Teams are going to target Moss a ton because he plays opposite Surtain He s constantly maintained he likes that challenge Related Articles Broncos position preview Dre Greenlaw Alex Singleton look to stay healthy and productive at ILB Broncos sign first-round pick Jahdae Barron to rookie deal source confirms Broncos position preview Nik Bonitto OLBs look to dominate the edge again in Keeler Broncos stadium with retractable roof Broncos Country thinks its coming whether they like it or not Why hasn t RJ Harvey signed rookie deal with Broncos Examining the NFL s second-rounder standoff Battle to watch McMillian vs Barron for the nickel job This one has been in the making since the Broncos turned in their draft card back in April McMillian s a great story and a good athlete but he didn t have the kind of impact last year that he had during his breakout run over the second half of Now there s a playmaking first-round pick standing between him and keeping his job Barron could end up playing outside if needed and the Broncos think he could even play safety in a pinch but looking at the depth chart and assuming Surtain and Moss stay healthy Barron profiles early on as a slot man This should be one of the best competitions in camp Under the radar sportsman Abrams-Draine Paton commented this spring that of all of Denver s draft picks the fifth-round corner was one of the slower-developing ones in training camp By the time December rolled around though Abrams-Draine was ready for his shot The Broncos got fed up with Wallace getting torched on Monday Night Football by Jerry Jeudy and threw their rookie into a hot spot He not only handled it with aplomb but he played well when called upon down the stretch The bulk years we d be talking about Abrams-Draine as a probable Year breakout In this group he might end up just being really high-quality young depth That s when you know you ve got it good Want more Broncos news Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis