Heading into Week 5, the Denver Broncos will very likely be without both Patrick Surtain II and Riley Moss. Both Surtain and Moss suffered rib and ankle injuries in Week 4, and while it could not be less ideal that the team's starting cornerback duo is likely not playing, that's the kind of thing that happens in the NFL.
Fortunately, Denver's safety tandem of Brandon Jones and Talanoa Hufanga might just be the best in the NFL, and Ja'Quan McMillian is among the best slot cornerbacks in the league. With Jahdae Barron and Kris Abrams-Draine both likely getting the start in place of Surtain and Moss, the depth of this secondary will be tested.
Well, Barron is the main piece here. He's a former first-round pick but just hasn't made a huge dent in the NFL in his second year in the league. Many have even gone as far as to say that Barron has been a flat-out bust. Well, with him likely getting a huge start in Week 5, he could begin the process of proving those doubters wrong.
Denver Broncos' CB Jahdae Barron has an ideal chance to begin silencing the doubters
Barron managed to start five games for the Broncos last year. He finished with one interception, five defended passes, 35 total tackles, and allowed a 98.8 passer rating in coverage, according to Pro Football Reference. He did this in 334 defensive snaps, which was 30 percent of the Broncos total last year.
He's suited up for all four games this year and has allowed a 99.2 passer rating in coverage and has been on the field for 70 snaps, which is 25 percent of the season total thus far. The main issue with Barron not playing much is obviously the talent ahead of him on the depth chart.
Surtain and Moss have formed one of the best CB duos in the NFL, and Surtain may already be one of the best CBs of this generation. McMillian had a career year in 2025 and got a rather huge raise for 2026, so he's been a key part of this defense as well.
Barron could be an uber-talented player who just doesn't have a path to get onto the field, but if he was as talented as his first-round billing says he should be, shouldn't he already have seen more snaps?
It's a sticky situation overall, but no matter where you stand with this player, it's clear that Week 5 and potentially beyond gives Barron an ideal time to prove to the front office, and other doubters, that he is indeed good enough to be a long-term fixture in the secondary.
In fact, this could not be a more ideal scenario for Barron to prove himself. The Broncos are clearly needing to tap into their CB depth, and it's very fair to assume that the first-round pick from a year ago is going to be able to fill in nicely.
The Broncos didn't draft Barron for him to have a career as a backup.
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