The Broncos have fielded one of the NFL’s best defenses in the last two years, especially against the pass. Denver allowed just 5.6 yards per attempt in 2024, the second-lowest mark in the league, which dropped to a league-best 4.8 in 2025.
Starting slot cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian has been a key cog of the Broncos’ secondary since he took over the job midway through the 2023 season. Originally a 2022 UDFA out of East Carolina, he spent his rookie year on the practice squad but was elevated to start and play every snap in Week 18. After a rough start from Essang Bassey in 2023, McMillian stepped in as the team’s nickel for the rest of the season and allowed 6.1 yards per target, the 18th-fewest among qualified cornerbacks.
McMillian saw a substantial jump in targets in 2024, but still allowed just 6.8 yards per target with fewer touchdowns than the year before. Last season, he staved off first-round pick Jahdae Barron to keep his job and allowed career-lows of 5.9 yards per target and a 74.3 passer rating when targeted. He finished the season with the fourth-highest overall and seventh-highest coverage grade of any cornerback (min. 100 snaps), per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
That performance would seem to position McMillian as one of the league’s top nickels, a market that is currently topped by Kyler Gordon at $13.3MM per year. He should be able to eclipse the $12MM AAV currently held by Marcus Jones, but he is unlikely to break into starting outside cornerback money at $15MM per year or more.
The Broncos have Patrick Surtain locked in as their long-term CB1. Riley Moss has been the starter on the opposite boundary for the last two seasons and allowed a roughly league-average 7.4 yards per target both times. He is in the final year of his rookie contract and could earn more on his next deal than McMillian since he lines up on the outside.
McMillian’s contract situation then becomes somewhat of a question about how Denver sees Barron. He played nickel for his first two years as a starter at Texas before putting up an elite performance as a full-time boundary corner in 2024. He filled a hybrid role as a rookie with 153 snaps in the slot, 93 outside, 99 in the box. If the Broncos see him as a long-term replacement for Moss, they will be more inclined to pay McMillian. But if defensive coordinator Vance Joseph wants to use Barron’s skillset in the slot, McMillian will likely be playing for a new team next year.
The Broncos are not expected to hand out any extensions until much closer to the season, Tomasson notes, giving them time to evaluate their cornerback room. They used the No. 20 pick on Barron last year and are unlikely to keep such a highly-drafted player on the sidelines for a second year in a row. The team may want to see how Barron fits into their secondary moving forward before making a decision on their veteran cornerbacks who are entering contract years.
I think if I were Denver I would have to keep Barron and McMillan. McMillan will be cheaper than Moss, and he has been far superior. Moss will command more money as an outside corner, and based off the fact teams are going to see him as a boundary corner with potential upside.
He will also reap the rewards and will be paid more on the open market solely from being part of Denver’s vaunted secondary.
Denver could even trade Moss at the deadline this year, so they can try to improve an area of weakness they have elsewhere on their roster.
I think Moss is a solid player, but he is pretty average. Although, contrary to what some might initially think, it can not be easy playing alongside the likes of Surtain, McMillan, and Barron. Any time a QB needs to make a throw that is potentially a 50/50 ball, that QB is definitely going to be more likely to look Moss’ way instead of targeting Surtain or McMillan. If you take that into consideration, the fact that Moss still holds up with even average stats, for me, that says he could have some upside playing on a team that might not be as stacked in the secondary.
Idk, I am far from an expert, but I just tend to believe teams are always willing to overpay in free agency, and especially when it comes to players who are part of a notoriously good defense. That goes double for when said player is a key part of that defenses’s best position group. All of these aforementioned reasons, plus having Jahdae Barron are why I would either trade Moss at the deadline, or just simply let him walk for the compensatory pick. Denver is going to have to prioritize entirely too many other core, young players to overpay for Moss. They can allocate those funds elsewhere, and they can address a different area of need moving forward while their window is likely near its peak to contend for a title while Nix is on his rookie deal.