Broncos Journal: Riley Moss’ strong summer puts him in good position entering training camp plus four other defensive offseason takeaways

Turnovers come in bunches, but turnover is the only true constant in the NFL.

The Broncos defense has learned both lessons in recent years.

Their 18-takeaway bonanza fueled a five-game winning streak in 2023. But the constant churn of coaches and personnel also played a part in the group’s hideous start to the fall. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph’s group was so bad early on that the mid-season rally only got the club back into contention rather than firmly into the playoffs.

The unit’s turnover this offseason is modest in comparison to recent years mostly because Joseph is back for a second year. Still, there’s plenty of new ground to cover.

The Broncos could have up to five new starters and several new role players. The middle of their defense will look different at all three levels.

It’s instructive on the level to which this group has been in tumult that inside linebacker Alex Singleton will have a new partner next to him and new safeties (mostly) behind and yet he raved about how nice this offseason has been on the continuity front.

Joseph struck a similar tone at the end of minicamp earlier this month.

“We’ve got some new guys playing, so it takes the spring and the (summer) to kind of get caught up from the previous year,” he said. “Every year the defense kind of changes. It’s based on the players. It’s always players first and scheme second. But it’s good to be in the same scheme two years in a row.”

There are several questions to answer in training camp, but here are five takeaways from the defense’s offseason.

Riley Moss looks good in the CB competition… so far

It’s not so much that Damarri Mathis or veteran Levi Wallace played poorly this summer, but rather that Moss impressed. Head coach Sean Payton, Joseph and others raved about Moss’ length. He’s got speed and athleticism, too.

Moss might have made a bigger impact as a rookie had he not had to have core surgery that cost him most of training camp. A fully healthy camp this August and he’ll be tough to unseat for the starting role opposite Pat Surtain II.

There’s one note of caution all around from secondary coach Jim Leonhard from the end of minicamp, which gives an idea of Leonhard’s approach.

“We’ve got a hungry group that’s young, they know there’s plenty of opportunities on the field as far as what the roles could be,” he said. “There’s a lot of guys that had a big offseason.”

Related Articles

Denver Broncos |

Broncos Mailbag: Is this the worst on-field drought in franchise history?

Denver Broncos |

Want to see the Broncos in training camp? Here are 16 dates open to fans.

Denver Broncos |