Riley Moss has put himself in a spot the Broncos can’t ignore.
The former Denver third-round pick has grown into one of the NFL’s better No. 2 cornerbacks, and the reason is easy to see: teams keep coming after him because he lines up across from Patrick Surtain II. Since winning a starting role in 2024, Moss has been targeted 221 times, racked up 27 pass breakups, and led the NFL in 2025 with 19 of them. He’s also picked off two passes, with one interception in each of the last two seasons.
The production has come with some baggage - he draws a lot of defensive pass interference flags and still has room to tighten up his consistency - but the overall body of work says he’s a real player. That matters because it puts him on track for a major payday in 2027.
Moss already has proven performance escalators in his deal, which pushed his 2026 base salary to $3.674 million. The bigger question is what kind of contract he could land next, and whether Denver would even want to pay it.
The market for comparable corners gives a pretty clear picture.
Alontae Taylor, now with the Tennessee Titans, signed a three-year deal worth $58 million, including $42 million fully guaranteed. The former second-round pick spent four seasons with the New Orleans Saints, started 53 games, was targeted 365 times, and finished with 52 pass breakups and four interceptions.
Tyson Campbell’s deal went even higher. The Cleveland Browns corner signed a four-year, $76.5 million extension in 2025 after four seasons with the Jaguars, where he made 59 starts, was targeted 318 times, and had six interceptions. He played five games for Jacksonville before being traded, then appeared in 12 games for Cleveland, where he was targeted 55 times and posted 12 pass breakups and one interception.
Paulson Adebo offers another useful comparison. The New York Giants signed him to a three-year, $54 million contract in 2025 with $34.75 million fully guaranteed.
The former Saints third-round pick had started 51 games, been targeted 331 times, and produced 47 pass breakups and 10 interceptions before moving on. In 2025, he started 12 games for the Giants, was targeted 53 times, and had eight pass breakups.
Taken together, those deals point Moss toward a strong market. He’s shown enough as a quality No. 2 corner to push for at least what Taylor and Campbell got, and maybe more. A four-year contract worth up to $80 million with at least $44 million fully guaranteed is a realistic range.
That kind of number explains why some expect Denver to let him walk in 2027. The Broncos may not have the cap space or cash to keep Moss and other key pieces together.
That’s where the trade conversation starts.
If Denver were to listen on Moss now, the asking price would have to be real. The bar would be a 2027 first-round pick.
That could shift depending on how Jahdae Barron looks in training camp and the preseason. If Barron proves he can handle the No. 2 cornerback job without question, the Broncos could think about moving Moss for slightly less than a first-rounder.
Even then, the floor should be a 2027 second-round pick. Cornerbacks with Moss’s value don’t come cheap.
There’s also the other side of the equation. If Denver keeps him for 2026 and then loses him in 2027, the return would likely be no better than a third-round compensatory pick in 2028. But holding onto him could also help the Broncos chase a deep playoff run in 2026.
That’s the real dilemma. It would be nice to get something back for Moss now, but the return has to be worth it. If it isn’t, the smarter move is to keep him for 2026 and deal with the free-agent departure later.
In Other News...
Dolphins Just Got Dragged Into A Wild NFL Scenario Again
CBS Sports writer Carter Bahns took a World Cup-style swing at the NFL calendar, dividing the league into groups and then running a full knockout bracket through the season. In that alternate setup, the Broncos came out of group play on top, handled a Round of 16 game, and kept themselves in the mix long enough to make the format feel a little too real for comfort.
Denvers path in the simulation included a tight knockout win over the 49ers before the run ended in the quarterfinals, which is exactly the sort of what-if that can make a fan think twice about how much a single matchup can change in a tournament setting. Bahns exercise ultimately had the Rams lifting the trophy, but the Broncos place in the bracket was enough to make the whole idea feel like more than a gimmick. [Read more 🡒]
Jaylen Waddle Just Sent A Strong Message About Denver's Receivers
Jaylen Waddles arrival in Denver has already started to change the conversation around the Broncos passing game. During offseason practices, the former Dolphins receiver has been upbeat about what he has seen from the wideout room, and that matters for a team trying to build more than just a deeper rotation. A receiver of Waddles caliber does not just add speed and separation, he also raises the standard for everyone lining up around him.
Courtland Sutton is part of the appeal, too, because the Broncos now have the kind of top-end talent that can make a defense pick its poison. Waddle has clearly noticed the chemistry in the room, and the early signs suggest Denvers offense may be getting a much cleaner fit than most outside observers expected. The real question now is how quickly that connection turns from offseason optimism into something the Broncos can lean on when the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]