Denver Broncos: 5 of the best moves made this offseason

2. Overloading at the CB position

The second-best move of the 2021 offseason for the Denver Broncos is not a singular move, but a variety of moves combined into one.

The team’s decision and strategy to totally overhaul and overload the cornerback position could turn out to be one of the most important they made all year.

The Broncos were expected to target a cornerback heading into free agency. What they weren’t expected to do was sign two prominent veterans and then use the 9th overall pick on arguably the CB1 of the 2021 NFL Draft.

The team initially signed Ronald Darby to a three-year contract after his huge season with the Washington Football Team in 2020. Darby has a history of injuries but also a history of outstanding ball production.

Very few defensive backs have as many pass breakups since 2015 as Darby (81) despite the fact that he has missed plenty of time with injuries.

Although his numbers date back to the 2014 season, Kyle Fuller is one cornerback who can pretty well match Darby in terms of his production on the football given that he missed the entire 2016 season. Since 2014, he has had 82 passes broken up.

Along with veteran Bryce Callahan, those three guys have been outstanding at getting their hands on the ball in their NFL careers, and obviously safeties Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson have done the exact same thing since they came into the league.

Adding Pat Surtain II to the mix along with those veteran players makes this Denver Broncos secondary arguably the best and most talented in the entire NFL.

The personnel groupings the team was trotting out down the stretch of the 2020 season likely sparked this strategy and George Paton’s Vikings teams have always heavily emphasized investment in the defensive backfield, whether it was through the draft or free agency.

That didn’t change upon his arrival in Denver and it’s given the Broncos a position group they can really hang their hats on entering the 2021 season.