The Broncos aren’t sounding alarms over Riley Moss’ rib injury, and Sean Payton’s message Monday was pretty clear: this looks manageable.
Payton said the starting cornerback is “doing fine” after getting hurt in last week’s preseason loss to Green Bay, adding, “I would say it's nothing serious. We're being smart,” Payton offered following training camp practice. “We'll see as the week progresses where he's at.”
Moss was injured after he came away with what was initially ruled a Patrick Surtain II forced fumble. He was then brought down by a swarm of players and took the hit and the ball to the rib area.
The pain was obvious right away. Moss left the field, went to the blue medical tent on the sideline, and was later escorted to the locker room for more evaluation.
He finished the game with one pass deflection in Denver’s 33-13 loss.
After the game, Payton was still measured when asked about Moss. “Good. We'll see,” Payton said in his post-game press conference.
The timing matters because Moss is one of several extension-eligible Broncos who are trying to put together a strong camp and earn a new deal. The fourth-year defender is set to make $3.674 million in base salary and count a little under $4 million against the cap this season.
Moss addressed that situation on Aug. 6, saying, “It’s about taking things day by day, being where your feet are, competing, and improving at one thing every day. The rest will take care of itself.
I trust that God has a plan for me. Whether I have a bad practice or a bad game, there’s always something to learn from it.
I trust Him, and that’s how I approach it.”
Denver has one more preseason game left, hosting the Minnesota Vikings on Friday evening before turning to Week 1 at Kansas City, which is exactly 21 days away from the time of this writing.
Moss may sit out against Minnesota, but there’s no indication he’s in danger of missing the opener against the Chiefs, where he’ll be needed.
If he does rest this week, the Broncos can give more snaps to Jahdae Barron and Kris Abrams-Draine, both of whom have flashed this preseason. Denver is also taking a look at undrafted corners Sean Fresch Jr. and Brent Austin as possible practice squad options.
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