The Denver Broncos might be thin at cornerback against the Baltimore Ravens. Here’s how they could utilize rookie Isaac Yiadom.
The Denver Broncos are already thin at the cornerback position as it is, but with Pacman Jones not practicing the entire week due to a hamstring injury suffered against the Oakland Raiders, it could be time for the team to take rookie third-round pick Isaac Yiadom off the ice.
Yiadom had a huge offseason leading up to the 2018 NFL Draft with a stellar week at the 2018 Senior Bowl leading to a third-round selection by the Denver Broncos.
The Broncos were excited about Yiadom through the offseason, even giving him some first-team reps. He struggled as any rookie would, but he also showed the type of promise the team had hoped he would in practices.
While Broncos head coach Vance Joseph said he would be comfortable playing veterans like Jones despite missing an entire week of practice, but he also said after practice on Friday that the team was planning on being ‘smart’ since it’s still early in the season.
This is the Broncos’ best opportunity to get Yiadom’s feet wet in a regular season game. Not only did Jones not practice all week, but fellow veteran option Tramaine Brock really struggled in the snaps he was given against the Oakland Raiders.
The Broncos have an opportunity to utilize Yiadom on special teams against the Ravens but also get him maybe 15-20 snaps defensively and see if he can be effective on a smaller snap count.
The Broncos could also help Yiadom be more effective in coverage by placing him in specific matchup situations against players like Michael Crabtree or Baltimore’s tight ends, who profile in similar ways athletically to him.
Yiadom is a lengthy cornerback who is somewhat limited athletically but excels in man coverage. His struggles in the preseason were not limited to this one matchup, but he gave up a touchdown against Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs, which has happened to some of the best corners in the league.
Obviously, every wide receiver is on an NFL regular season roster for a reason, but the Broncos have a chance against a pretty average-to-sub-par Ravens wide receiver group to get Yiadom some in-game action and put him in favorable situations against players he can match up well with.
Sunday could be Yiadom’s shot at re-establishing himself as a corner worthy of being active every single week on gameday.