Broncos sign former Raiders cornerback to 53-man roster, add key depth

The Denver Broncos have three solid starting cornerbacks.

Check that, they have one rising superstar in Pat Surtain II and then Ronald Darby and K’Waun Williams. It’s a pretty darn good unit overall.

But after those guys, depth is a concern. Michael Ojemudia is on short-term IR with an elbow injury and will miss at least four games to start the year. Damarri Mathis is a promising rookie out of Pitt and will need time to develop. And the final guy, Essang Bassey, is no longer on the Broncos. 9NEWS and 104.3 The Fan insider Mike Klis has the details.

Broncos have signed veteran CB Darius Phillips for their active 53-man roster per source. Was with Bengals and more recently Raiders. Broncos waive CB Essang Bassey to make room. Bassey made great improvement but Broncos needed a reserve corner with bit more experience. #9sports

— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) September 1, 2022

Darius Phillips played the last four years with the Bengals before joining the Raiders this offseason. He was cut by Las Vegas earlier this week, leaving him free to sign with the Broncos. In four seasons with Cincinnati, Phillips played 47 games and made 10 starts. The former fifth-round pick has five career interceptions, 23 passes defended, three forced fumbles and 73 tackles.

Bassey tore his ACL late in the 2020 season and didn’t play much for the Broncos a year ago. They liked him enough to keep him out of camp, but with Ojemudia sidelined, GM George Paton felt like Phillips was a necessary upgrade.

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