ESPN: Broncos DB duo among top offseason upgrades

Following an offseason that saw the addition of two veteran cornerbacks and a top-tier rookie, the expectations for the Denver Broncos secondary are sky high in 2021, with some in Broncos Country going as far as to label the group the second coming of the “No Fly Zone.”

“The expectations are very high,” said Broncos cornerback Bryce Callahan on Tuesday. “You see the depth. We have all of the guys, and we have all of the pieces to have the best secondary in the league. It’s up to us to execute the calls and just prove what everybody else is thinking.”

But this week, the unit received some praise from outside Broncos Country regarding its offseason upgrades, as ESPN’s Mike Clay lauded the additions of veterans Ronald Darby and Kyle Fuller to replace 2020 starters Michael Ojemudia and A.J. Bouye.

“Combined with returning Bryce Callahan and 2020 third-round pick Ojemudia, Denver now has one of the league’s best and deepest cornerback groups,” writes Clay, who also noted the addition of rookie Pat Surtain II. “And if we include safeties Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson, the Broncos have arguably the league’s best overall secondary.”

After OTAs last week, Darby said the unit can “do great things” if they continue to gel with each other.

“Communication is key along with knowing our job and knowing where to line up and knowing each other’s tendencies,” Darby said. “Once we get all that down, they sky is the limit for this group. We have a lot of vet players and a lot of young, talented players. We can all run and fly around”

Simmons had a similar sentiment earlier last week, saying that he’s “really excited” about what this group can do in 2021.

“We’ve just kind of barely been scratching the surface of what we can accomplish in terms of the secondary and the new corners,” Simmons said. “With Kareem coming back and Bryce being healthy, I’m really excited.”

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