Funny thing about playing a position that requires a short memory: Even if wide receivers struggle to run past you, time sure seems to fly by.
Such is the case for Broncos cornerback Riley Moss, who heads into training camp this month no longer just a young, promising player.
He’s a multi-year starter opposite Pat Surtain II. He’s a critical piece of one of the best defenses in the NFL. And he’s entering the final year of his original rookie contract.
“Dude, itap gone by so fast,” Moss told The Post after a minicamp practice last month. “Itap unbelievable.”
Moss enters his fourth training camp as one of the most interesting figures on Denver’s roster. He has provided two seasons of mostly high-caliber play in an unenviable role opposite Surtain, the perennial All-Pro candidate. Moss has reveled in knowing he’ll be targeted frequently rather than shying away from it. He’s bounced back when he’s had a tough game and worked to correct issues like his eight 2025 pass interference penalties, the second-highest mark in the NFL.
He will soon dive into a contract year as part of a fascinating secondary picture that is almost sure to change in some sort of substantial way after the 2026 season. Moss and nickel Ja’Quan McMillian are both free agents after the year. Denver has 2025 first-rounder Jahdae Barron waiting in the wings and coaches have said repeatedly that they believe he can play in the slot or outside. The Broncos have also received quality play from Kris Abrams-Draine in spot outside duty over the past two seasons.
Moss may marvel at how quickly this point in his career has arrived, but he said he rarely considers whatap just beyond the horizon, which is likely a lucrative contract extension here or elsewhere.
“To be honest, no. It’ll handle itself out like it always has,” Moss said. “I trust in God, and I trust in myself, and I’m just going to go out, do my thing, continue to do my thing, and the rest will take care of itself.”
If Moss and McMillian each enter training camp without an extension, it will be tempting to interpret Barron’s workload as a clue to what the future might hold. Will Barron play primarily outside and try to push Moss for a timeshare or the job outright? Will he mostly man the slot and try to stage a more compelling battle against McMillian than he did last summer? Or will he split work in preparation for what could be a similar reserve role to last season?
Moss expects competition from somebody or somebodies four weeks from now, when the Broncos report.
“Naturally, if you’re a competitor and you want to last in this league, you have that regardless of who is behind you,” he said. “Itap good for us. It pushes me, it pushes them and overall I think itap good for our room.”
A focus on creating turnovers
The Broncos originally traded up for Moss in the third round of the 2023 draft, selecting him No. 81 overall. The former University of Iowa standout had a core muscle injury that sidelined him for most of his rookie training camp, but he developed into a trusted special-teams player over the 2023 season. Then he won the job opposite Surtain and hasn’t looked back, starting 31 games over the past two seasons.
After this most recent season, Moss got a reel of film from the coaching staff and front office that he said broke down “the good, the bad and the ugly” and provided a roadmap for where the brass wanted him to focus. Those things can be picked at over the spring and summer, but the real technical work begins anew in training camp.
Mostly, Moss said, his focus during the offseason months is on physical conditioning.
“The first thing is getting my weight back,” Moss said. “I lose a good 8 pounds during the season just naturally from running all over the place. So I just try to get my feet back, get my weight back and then kind of work from there.”
During minicamp, Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph called creating more turnovers this fall a problem that needs fixing after his group wreaked havoc in 2025 but forced just 14 turnovers (tied for 29th in the NFL).
“That’s for me, schematically, having more eyes on the ball with pressure,” Joseph said. “That’s our players catching the football. Thatap our players, when they’re sacking a quarterback, breaking the elbow and causing more forced fumbles.”
For Moss, No. 2 on the list rings particularly true after he tied for the NFL lead in passes defensed.
“Itap me, myself and I,” he said. “I only had one pick and I had like (19) passes defended or whatever the heck it was.
“We’re going to start coming down with those a little more often. Thatap something you work in practice and we’re going to get some more turnovers for sure.”
