Broncos believe they got free agency’s top CB in Darby
If you ask George Paton, the Broncos got the top cornerback in free agency.
Denver officially introduced Ronald Darby on Thursday, with the sixth-year pro projecting as the Broncos’ No. 1 cornerback in 2021. Paton said Darby is a glue guy who “brings the juice.”
“Comparing him to the other corners in free agency, we thought he had the best pure cover skills of any corner,” the Broncos’ first-year general manager said. “He really fits what (coach) Vic (Fangio) wants — he can play man, he can play zone, he can match up, he can press and he can really run.”
Darby, 27, signed a three-year, $30 million contract and will headline a cornerback corps also featuring veteran Bryce Callahan as well as second-year pros Essang Bassey and Michael Ojemudia. Darby comes to Denver after a prove-it year in Washington, where he put an array of injuries behind him and started all 16 games for the first time.
“My mindset last season was just showing that I could stay on the field,” Darby said. “That was a concern in the past, so I wanted to show I could stay on the field. I had to bet on myself.”
The bet paid off, as Darby turned his one-year, $4 million deal with Washington into his big payday. The Bills’ former second-round pick out of Florida State in 2015 played his first two seasons in Buffalo and then 2017-19 in Philadelphia, where Darby was a starter on the Eagles’ Super Bowl team.
Darby, who missed just three games through his first two seasons in Buffalo, said his self-confidence never wavered as he dealt with a bevy of injuries following his trade to Philadelphia. He missed eight games in 2017 (ankle), seven in ’18 (knee) and five in ’19 (hand/hip).
“I knew who I am as a player,” Darby said. “I knew the (injuries) I was going through wasn’t me.”
In 73 career games (72 starts), Darby’s tallied 306 tackles and eight interceptions, three of which came in 2017. Also, Darby’s 81 pass break-ups are the third-most by an NFL cornerback since 2015.
Paton said Darby “fits in our system,” and the Broncos are likely to use him exclusively on the outside, opposite Ojemudia, while Callahan and Bassey cover the slot.
The team’s last high-profile cornerback acquisition, A.J. Bouye, didn’t work out. Bouye was limited to seven games in 2020 due to injury and suspension, and was released last month. And, Denver’s secondary could use more mojo in 2021 considering the team’s 10 interceptions in 2020 were tied for 23rd-most — with safety Justin Simmons recording five of those picks.
For Darby’s part, he’s eager to prove his worth in Denver.
“I haven’t made it to a Pro Bowl yet, I haven’t been All-Pro yet,” Darby said. “Those are things I want to do, so each year I want to get better and better. I’m going to continue to get better and better.”