The Denver Broncos have a long history of unearthing gems in undrafted free agency, and so does head coach Sean Payton. Despite the rich history of both in finding talent after the NFL Draft, it's fair to say that this year's UDFA class for the Broncos has been somewhat of an afterthought due to the fact that the talent level on the roster will prevent most from being anything but practice squad candidates.
But that's why the preseason is so intriguing. Guys have a chance to step up and make their case for a roster spot, even at the deepest position groups on the team.
One position group with very little wiggle room right now is the cornerback group, and the Broncos might have found their next Chris Harris Jr. if one rookie can build on his strong performance against the 49ers. That rookie is former Oregon State cornerback Jaden Robinson.
Jaden Robinson stood out in a big way for Broncos in preseason debut
When the third defense hit the field for the Broncos, No. 33 was flashing consistently. Jaden Robinson was given a guarantee of just $70,000 by the Broncos this offseason, which is rather modest for an undrafted free agent these days. The Broncos didn't really have much of a need to add to the defensive backfield, but they might have something special here.
Robinson made a couple of plays where he really flashed on the tape. The first play was one in which he came all the way across the field to shut down at 4th-and-4 for the 49ers offense as they were trying to get a crosser concept to work. He sniffed it out immediately and navigated the traffic, making a great hit on 49ers receiver Robbie Chosen to get the turnover on downs.
The second play where Robinson really flashed was a play he made on the ball. He did a greaet job planting and breaking on the ball which hit Isaiah Hodgins (another former Oregon State star) for what would have been an easy first down, but Robinson got his hand in and made a great play.
It's only one preseason game, but these are the types of things guys put on tape that will cause teams to make longer-term decisions at a crucial position like corner. Now, we'll see if he can stack some days in camp, and whether or not that momentum he's built can carry over into the next preseason game against the Cardinals.
Robinson has a chance to be the team's "next" Chris Harris Jr., a player who came to Denver with pretty much zero expectation of doing anything and ended up being a core starter. It's way too early to put that on Robinson, but the early signs are extremely positive.