Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Denver Broncos' Jahdae Barron POISED To RISE In Second-Year Role

Starting point is 00:00:00 Going into his second season with the Debrae Broncos, cornerback Jadae Barron is exactly where he needs to be. You are locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast. Part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. What's how Broncos country is your boy, Cody Roark here on today's episode of the show. We're going to be talking about Broncos' second year quarterback Jaday Barron. Maybe what his year to role will look like inside of Vance Joseph's defense this season. And after he was tested and he learned multiple positions last year as a rookie.

Starting point is 00:00:38 More importantly, the Broncos cornerback depth, it's going to find a way to sort itself out. That's even something that's Sean Payton said. What might that look like? We're going to kick things off by talking about why Jide Baron is exactly where he needs to be and why comparison is the thief of joy here. Let's talk about it because obviously first round pick, the expectations are always high. But I always think when you look in context of the NFL draft, where you go certainly does matter. first round, second round, third round, but it's what you do with the opportunities that you're given.

Starting point is 00:01:07 And I think context in terms of if you're taking in round one, well, what is the context around your selection? What is the context of the position that you're drafted at? Well, I think for the Broncos, we all knew cornerback was a massive strength of theirs with Riley Moss, Pat Sertan. Certainly we like what we saw from Chris Abrams drain. And obviously, Jaquan McMillan in the mix here for Denver, Jaday Barron, who's kind of drafted to be this player, hey, he's got versatility. he could play corner on the outside. He can play inside the slot. And he's got the ability at times to play safety,

Starting point is 00:01:38 though safety for the Broncos is not a place they ever envisioned Jide playing. And I think the realistic expectation for them, at least going into his rookie season was, okay, he's going to be insurance for us right away. He's going to learn this defense in the event of an injury on the outside. And that proved to be the case. When Pat Sartan went down, the Broncos rotated both Jaday and Chris Abrams drain.

Starting point is 00:01:58 And they rotated them because Jaday also played an important role inside the Broncos dime package against tight ends. There was a different role for him based on personnel, right? And I think that kind of changed maybe the expectations. But the Broncos got good contributions out of Jaday and Chris Abrams drain when PS2 was out with an injury. Certainly Riley Moss played well as well. But we had a question sent in, obviously, on our mailbag early on this week.

Starting point is 00:02:23 It comes in from Jesse Murphy. And he asked the question, what does Jada Baron have to do this year, production wise for that first round selection to make sense? and not look like a wasted draft pick with guys like O'Marion Hanton on the board, Emin Worry at safety position, Swearinger, the linebacker, and then Luther Burden still on the board. Look, those are all names that we've all talked about going into the 2025 NFL draft, but I think in the context of where those guys were taken, certainly they had a big impact for their team. But if they were taking, if those guys were taken specifically for Denver,

Starting point is 00:02:57 would that have made sense with Talanoa Hufanga, with Brandon Jones at the starting safety? position. It wouldn't have made sense for him in Worry in that position. Linebacker you could have made the best argument for. And my bigger thing would have been maybe Jehad Campbell instead of Jada Baron. But that's not where the Broncos were at. The Broncos took him when the context of saying, we want to add value to our cornerback room in the event of an injury, but this is a guy who we think is going to start for us one day down the road. Just because you go round one, it doesn't mean that you're going to be a day one starter. I think that is what skewed the perception of Jada Barron, who obviously played a lot in 2025. He appeared in all 17

Starting point is 00:03:34 games here for the Broncos, started in five of them. He had one interception, 35 tackles. And he showcased, I think, a lot of growth throughout the course of the season. Didn't play as many special team snaps. The only 19 special team snaps last season for Denver. But that's going to be an area where I think he'll probably have to play a lot more going into year number two for him. But I think he is exactly where he needs to be. And the reason I say that is he's in the perfect position right now to take on a larger role this upcoming season going into year two versus having this first round expectation and some of the unfair expectations we have a first round picks at times to come in and be a superstar. The Broncos don't need Jadae to come in

Starting point is 00:04:14 and be a superstar. They need him to come in and be a contributor and a guy who can have an impact. And he did show that at times last season. He kind of became that guy that the Broncos wanted to line up in third down passing situations in the dime against some better linebackers. I go back to the Philadelphia Eagles game on the road in week five where late in the clutch, he's man to man against Dallas Goddard playing great catch technique right there, had a pass break up on that final drive. He comes up and he tackles well and he showcased he could play man against those tight ends. Not only that, Jake Ferguson was the hottest tight end in the NFL coming into their

Starting point is 00:04:48 matchup initially in terms of having the most catches by a tight end. The Broncos held him to zero catches on one target. And that one target was up the seam. And guess who had an interception? Jaday Barron, Travis Kelsey. I mean, I thought he did a really good job against him as well, had a pick six, unfortunately wiped off the board, went in coverage against him, and also had a pass break up a little bit late.

Starting point is 00:05:09 And of course, at times Travis Kelsey got him a couple times in that first matchup, got him a couple times in that second matchup. But Jaday, as much as he gets it, you know, in a couple of situations from the player, he's going to go out there and he's going to make a couple of plays or a key tackle. There's so much to like about Jaday outside of the muddied optics. So he was, well, he was a first round pick. He didn't start much.

Starting point is 00:05:31 He didn't play a larger role than most people thought. So that's where I think he's just exactly where he needs to be. Of course, would he want to play more? Absolutely. But Denver at Corner, they were loaded last year. Jayquan Macmillan came in and played the best year of football in his career and has earned the right to be the starting nickel for Denver. That doesn't mean that Jadae is not going to have a role on this team.

Starting point is 00:05:51 He's going to play the other slot position inside of the dime package. And you know what? They're very well might be competition on the outside. for cornerback to, especially with Riley Moss in a career year. Coming up next, Broncos country, we're going to talk about how the Broncos cornerback depth will find a way to sort itself out, what that may look like. Here on today's bonus episode, Locked on Broncos. Today's episode, the show is brought to you by our friends over there at game time.

Starting point is 00:06:15 We can stream anything. We can order food of minutes. We can do everything from our phones and somehow buying tickets to your favorite live events feels way harder than it should be. Long lines, confusing, checkout prices, jumping at the last second. Folks, it shouldn't be that complicated. And that's why there is game time because it gives the advantage back to the fans and makes getting tickets faster and simpler. This year's NFL schedule is officially out.

Starting point is 00:06:39 So if you're a Denver Broncos fan and you want to catch them when they're on the road, well, guess what? Denver's going to open up the season at Kansas City. Their home opener is going to be against the Jacksonville Jaguars. If you want to be in attendance, we'll make sure you go to the game time app because you can see the best deals on tickets and seats inside of the app. Plus, they have a seat view feature, which allows you to see what the field is going to look. like from your seat. So you make sure when you're going out there to buy tickets, you're getting the best view and the best price. Take the guesswork out of buying tickets to every type of event with Game Time. Download the GameTime app, create an account and use code locked on for $20

Starting point is 00:07:12 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, create an account, redeem code, L-O-C-E-D-O-N for $20 off. Download the GameTime app today. Today's show is also brought to you by our friends over there at Indeed, workplace chaos, deadline stacking up. Your inbox is overflowing in the one position it to fill it's still sitting open. Well, guess what? When the pressure is on and you need the right hire, this is a job for sponsored jobs because Indeed, sponsored jobs helps you reach the people who actually fit what you're looking for, the skills, the experience, and the location. So you're not just hoping the right candidate stumbles across your post. And in the minute that I've been talking to you, companies like yours made 27 hires on Indeed, according to Indeed data worldwide. So if you're

Starting point is 00:07:50 hiring, spend less time searching and more time interviewing candidates who check all your boxes with indeed sponsored jobs with less stress, less time. And more important, more results. When you need the right person to cut through the chaos, this is a job for Indeed sponsored jobs and listeners of this show, you'll get a $75 sponsored job credit to get your job to premium status that it deserves at Indy.com slash podcast. Just go to Indy.com slash podcast right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indy.com slash podcast, terms and conditions apply need to hire. This is a job for Indeed sponsored jobs. At Broncos rookie minicamp, Broncos head coach Sean Payton said that the

Starting point is 00:08:28 The cornerback depth will sort itself out, and he's glad that they have the guys that they do. Want to say thank you once again to all the everydayers out there in Broncos country. Thanks for tuning in, making us your first listen here on the Lockdown Podcast Network. You know it's your team every day. It's also the number one sports podcast network in the country, thanks to all of you in Broncos country. So let's talk about the cornerback depth here. I think undisputed PS2, I mean, not raining defending, but defensive player of the year, only a handful of players are going to hold that title throughout their career.

Starting point is 00:08:56 his spot is always going to be on question. And the thing about this defense, he can play anywhere from the outside and the slot matchup contingent, a move around piece here. So what does that mean about the depth? Riley Moss is entering the last year of his deal here with the Broncos, and it'll be very interesting to see whether or not they extend him. I think that they should. I think that they will. What does that mean for a guy like Jaday Barron? Here's the thing, folks.

Starting point is 00:09:18 He was a first round pick. The Broncos have five years, essentially, of team control. Four years, then you get the fifth year option when you extend that. the Broncos are not in a position right now to rush or force Jada Baron into doing or being anything that they don't think that he needs to be right now, especially if it's at the expense of what is believed to be a team strength. And that is the cornerback position right now. So for me, what I think should happen for the Broncos this year, I think that they should

Starting point is 00:09:47 extend Riley, but here's the contingent. Teams want to make sure if we're going to invest in you, we want to see that you can respond to a challenge. And I think Riley has responded to adversity so much throughout his career here early on. He's been such a valuable player to them. But challenge him a little bit. Create an open competition on the outside with Jide Baron, with Chris Abrams drain, and see just what happens when you create that level of competition amongst those three players. Who answers the call? Who steps up and makes the most plays? Can you go out there if you're Riley and solidify yourself as the true number two cornerback opposite of PS2 and shut a lot of the naysayers down.

Starting point is 00:10:24 I think that is something we would like to see from him. For Judey, can you take an exponential rise going from your rookie year to where you didn't play as much, especially on the outside, but you played, you got your feet wet, but now it's time to take your game to the next level. Go out there and secure a starting job on the outside. I think that's very much a possibility as well. Chris Abrams-drain, I think we'll have a lot to say about that because he has stepped up twice in two years when Denver had an injury to Riley.

Starting point is 00:10:52 And when Pat, he has come up and he's made some big plays for the Broncos in the secondary. But now you have a new set of eyes in the mix with Robert Livingston coming over from CU, former defensive quarterbacking coordinator. It used to be a defensive backs passing game coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals, especially was there when Vance Joseph was there. And then you have Doug Belk, who's coming over from USC in terms of coaching the secondary. With these new perspectives and these new eyes on you, I mean, you're going to have a chance to impress this coaching staff to where Sean is going

Starting point is 00:11:19 to defer to his coach is saying, who do you think the best players are for us right now? That's where these guys got to go into training camp. They got a battle and they got to showcase how much that they wanted. And I think for Judea, that's where it's really going to sort itself out. And that's what Sean said when we talked to him on the podium at rookie minicamp. He said, I'm glad we have the debt that we do. It's hard in today's NFL to find the type of corners that we have. And especially if you want to have that type of corner, what typically you have to pay big money,

Starting point is 00:11:46 you have to pay premium money and free agency. When the Broncos, they've drafted guys, they've developed guys, and of course you're going to eventually have to pay some of those guys. But if you're really struggling and not having somebody at that position, we already know the price tag for PS2 and the cornerback market, but when you don't have that second piece and you need at least two really good corners in today's NFL, you have to pay a lot more than where other people are at. So right now the Broncos actually have the benefit of saying we have cost team control right now

Starting point is 00:12:14 because we've drafted these guys. Riley's on an expiring deal coming up here, but we could extend him. We could extend Jayquan Macmillan, who's worked his way up and has rose up the ranks from being an undrafted guy to one of the best young nickel defenders in the game right now. And we took Jide Baron with a first round pick. We have, well, now four years.

Starting point is 00:12:35 We essentially had coming into it five years. We got four years left to really just kind of bring him along and to see where he can be. And that is where you push the envelope. Chris Abrams, Drane, obviously his contract is going to be coming up here in the next couple of years, but it's about managing your depth. You need to have good depth and you need to have good starters. The Broncos have a good starter. And the outside, on two spots on the outside, one spot in the nickel.

Starting point is 00:12:58 And you can make the argument, too, for Jaday, Jada is going to be a very good player. I feel it. And I understand he's got the right mindset, the right mentality, and the things that you see him do on film, he's only going to get better at as he gets more ingrained to the system, gets more reps, gets more comfortable. That's why that competition has to be at the forefront here for the Broncos going into training camp here. And I think for his year two role, what I will project it to be, I still think he's going to play a lot in the dime. And I think if the Broncos go the status quo of what they did last year in the secondary corner, it is going to be a rotation. I mean,

Starting point is 00:13:32 the Broncos base personnel right now is nickel, base nickel defense, five defensive backs. They play a lot of dime when they play some of these spread amount teams, they're going to play a lot more dime. If there's a really good tight end threat that you have to worry about, that's where you put Jaday in the mix because he can cover the short to the intermediate, the underneath stuff while you still have a safety like Brandon Jones and Tallanoa whofanga over the top. They do that really well, especially out of their too high shell. Well, they'll keep everything in front playing quarters coverage,

Starting point is 00:14:00 but they're going to have an underneath defender. That way, if you want to attack the seams, if you're a quarterback, well, guess what? You're putting it into tight windows where there's Brandon Jones, Talano, Hufanga, who can break on the ball. and you've got a good player who's got good ball instincts underneath in Jaday. I think that role right there is going to suit him this upcoming season, and you might even get creative as well depending on matchups. Can you put him on the outside?

Starting point is 00:14:22 Can you move Rodely Moss around, right? If you want to match up your guys best on best, PS2 against number one, we're going to put Rodley Moss against number two, the number two receiver, wherever he goes, do that. And then you can get Jaday reps on the outside and in the inside, depending on how that goes here. I see it kind of working itself. out in that way. Now if the Broncos open up competition, what if Shadei wins? I think Jaday will be in a

Starting point is 00:14:46 really good position here going forward. And if he wins a competition, then that means that the Broncos will probably move on from Riley Moss, which I don't want to happen. I think you've got to keep this strength a strength. And here's something else that you can do. You can wait, really, you can carry it out to the trade deadline. Let's say that there's teams out there that are in desperate need of a cornerback. Well, now you can open up maybe trading guys away. Look what the Broncos did with Bradley Chubb in his last year in Denver. He was on the last year of his deal. They traded him away to a team at the deadline. And the contingency was, we trade you away at the deadline. That team trading for you, they have to sign you to an extension, right? Denver's going to

Starting point is 00:15:21 get draft capital. But for that player going into the last year, because not a lot of teams are going to trade for a half year rental and then lose out on that guy the next year. There are going to be teams out there that might need some cornerback help. And right now, your debt, the corner is a strength, you might be able to use that to your advantage down the line. So a lot of options to the point where the Broncos don't need to sit here and force a decision right now on any of their players at corner, including Jada. Jadae, Broncos country, I encourage you, be patient because this is a kid that I think is going to have a big role in the next couple of years. Could even happen here in year number two where you're going to see it. And I think more fans will start to get on

Starting point is 00:16:00 his side, which I think a lot of people critiquing him. I know they're saying it's a bus because he didn't contribute much as the first round pick. I think that's unfair given the context where the Broncos roster is at, the deptic cornerback as is. I think it's a little unfair to Gide and he's got a lot of narratives. He's got to overcome. So, Broncos Country, lighten up on him. I guarantee you, your number two, you're going to see a little bit of a jump from him and I'm excited to see it here. But with that said, Broncos, thank you so much for tuning in, making us your first listen. And if you want to find a way to support the show, if you want ad-free version of Lockdown Broncos, check out the Everydare Club. Link is in the show notes down below. We're lockdownbracos.

Starting point is 00:16:33 that's supercast.com. But as always, as we get closer to OTAs, make sure you stay locked in to lockdown Broncos every single day for not only regular episodes, but you get bonus episodes like this as well. Every single day, you want more Broncos content. You got it. This is the place to be.

Starting point is 00:16:49 We'll see you next time.

Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Denver Broncos' Jahdae Barron POISED To RISE In Second-Year Role

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.