Denver Broncos: Essang Bassey appears to be team’s latest undrafted star

Denver Broncos defensive back Essang Bassey is well on his way in the NFL.

The former Wake Forest star was signed by the Broncos as an undrafted free agent following  April’s selection process. Many analysts were surprised to see him go undrafted as he did have a late-round grade coming out of college.

In 48 games at Wake, Bassey totaled 227 tackles, five interceptions and an impressive 45 passes defensed. The Broncos were happy to sign him following the draft and he impressed right away in camp this summer.

The Broncos have had their issues at the cornerback spot this season, mainly due to injuries and that has pressed the young Bassey into action. He  has been up to the challenge. He is also gaining valuable experience in the process.

In last week’s loss to the New Orleans Saints, Bassey was able to get his first career interception. After the game, he was quite complimentary of his former college teammate, Kendall Hinton, showing that he is a good dude as well.

Bassey also had a hand in helping the team avoid the first shutout at home in team history. While that is a small consolation following a blowout loss, it is a good statistic and allows the Broncos to keep that streak alive.

If not for his interception, which directly led to a 58-yard field goal by Brandon McManus, that shutout likely would have happened as the offense was never going to get the ball into scoring position.

There’s a lot to like so far in regards to Bassey’s game and character and he has all the making of a long-term player for the team. As far as undrafted free agents go, the Broncos have as good of a track record as any team in the league.

Here’s just a few names that the Broncos signed as undrafted players:

Rod Smith (Broncos’ all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns)

Chris Harris, Jr. 

C.J. Anderson

Shaquil Barrett

Phillip Lindsay

And that’s just to name a few. Coming into this season, the Broncos had seen an undrafted player make the opening day roster in 16 of 17 seasons. That’s remarkable.

Bassey could easily be the latest in the long line of successful undrafted players for the team and he still has five more games this season to prove that he probably should have been selected.

Bassey’s slow rise in Denver is no fluke either, as the team has clearly liked him from day one. If that wasn’t the case, why would the team trade Isaac Yiadom and cut De’Vante Bausby before placing him on the practice squad?

Knowing what the team had in Bassey was absolutely a factor in those decisions.

Broncos fans should look forward to him being part of the team for many years to come. It’s a longshot to expect Bassey to be the next Harris, but he definitely has the tools to be a quality piece of a solid defense.