Denver Broncos CB Ronald Darby excelled in press coverage in 2021
Denver Broncos’ cornerback Ronald Darby had a very strong year for the team in 2021, especially in press coverage, where he was one of the league’s best.
One of the more underrated moves of the George Paton era was signing Ronald Darby to a $30 million contract last year. Darby has always been a very talented cornerback, but has been a huge injury risk.
Darby was drafted in 2015 and played for the Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, and Washington Commanders before landing with the Denver Broncos.
In his seven career seasons, Darby has missed 29 total games. He’s only played a full season one time and is a tab bit undersized.
However, despite all of that, Darby was one of the very best cornerbacks in the NFL last season in press coverage.
Press coverage is simply another way to say man-to-man coverage. Darby didn’t blow up the stat sheet like some of the league’s more talented corners did, but what makes this feat even more impressive is that Denver had a very good cornerback opposite of Darby in Patrick Surtain II.
NFL offenses generally stay away from a team’s top cornerback and instead target corners who are further down the depth chart.
Even with Surtain II on the other side, Darby held his own, and according to PFF, was the 6th best cornerback in all of football last year with an 89.4 grade overall.
His overall PFF grade ranked ahead of players like Denzel Ward, Marshon Lattimore, and Jalen Ramsey.
Darby isn’t one of the elite names that we’d typically associate with defensive backs, but his first season in Denver was phenomenal.
Hopefully, in year two in Denver, Darby can take another step and form a truly elite duo with Patrick Surtain II. The Denver Broncos need to continue to field great secondaries to counter the lethal quarterback play in the AFC West.
It’s also imperative that Ronald Darby stays on the field this season. If he again misses a chunk of games, the team may see it appropriate to cut ties with the player, as his contract is very movable next offseason.