Denver Broncos: Lack of cornerback depth has already reared its ugly head
Do the Denver Broncos have enough help at the cornerback position?
That has been a question all offseason, and as I talked about a couple of months ago, the cornerback spot was a concern. The last thing the team needed was an injury to one of the starting corners and that is exactly what has happened with A.J. Bouye.
With Bouye down, the Broncos will have to rely on some combination of Davontae Harris, Michael Ojemudia, Essang Bassey and De’Vante Bausby. Two of those players are rookies and one was just called up from the practice squad.
Going into Pittsburgh on Sunday, the Broncos face a team that is not afraid to air it out. Ben Roethlisberger began to get back into a comfort zone in Week 1 and though he no longer has Antonio Brown, he has receivers that can make big plays.
A guy like Juju Smith-Schuster could have a field day in this one.
The Broncos must be ready to stop the Steelers’ passing attack, which is likely to be a huge part of their gameplan.
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But the Broncos could have prevented this situation. There were veteran free agents available until late in the offseason such as Logan Ryan, Darqueze Dennard and Dre Kirkpatrick. Rather than bringing in a player like that, the team chose to stick with the guys it had.
It will be interesting to see how the Broncos devise their defensive gameplan in Week 2 without Bouye. It’s worth noting that both rookies, Ojemudia and Bassey, played respectably in their debuts. However, that was against a run-heavy Tennesee offense. The Steelers will be a different story.
Vic Fangio has bet on the guys he has and even waived Bausby at the end of camp, a surprise move to many as he was seen as the guy with the inside track for the No. 3 spot. That shows that Fangio has a lot of confidence in the rookies and hopefully for him, that doesn’t come back to bite him.
Against an experienced passer like Roethlisberger on the road, it certainly could.