Riley Moss
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Denver Broncos cornerback Riley Moss.
Whatever happens with Denver Broncos cornerback Riley Moss and no matter how good he plays, part of the discussion is always going to go back to race.
That’s understandable, in this case, because Moss is white and when he started the 2024 season opener for the Broncos he became the NFL’s first white starting cornerback in 22 years.
Since then, Moss has gone about becoming one of the NFL’s best up-and-coming cornerbacks and doing so with a barrage of passes thrown his way — not because he sucks but because NFL Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II is the other starting cornerback.
Teams just don’t throw at Surtain. At one point in 2024, the odds of completing a pass against Surtain were so low it was better, statistically, to just throw the ball away than even attempt a pass in his direction.
Still, Moss persists. And he’s becoming elite. He also gets called for a lot of defensive pass interference penalties, which Surtain, who will miss the next 3 weeks with a pec strain, joked might be because Moss is white.
“I ain’t gonna lie, II think they racial profiling my dog,” Surtain joked on the Closed on Sundays With Pat and Terrion podcast with Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold. “They calling all these flags on my boy … I ain’t gonna lie, these flags is egregious. He had a rep against CeeDee Lamb where he played the ball, where he was in perfect position, and he still got a flag.”
Moss Will Have Added Pressure With PS2 Out
While there will be pressure on whoever fills in for Moss at the secondary outside cornerback spot, it’s Moss who is going to be counted on to square off with the other team’s WR1 for the next month or so with Surtain out.
All signs seem to indicate he’ll be up to the task.
“Riley Moss has the lowest catch percentage in the entire NFL, per NextGen Stats,” DNVR Sports reporter Zac Stevens wrote on his official X account. “Teams only complete a pass when throwing his way 46% of the time, the best in the NFL.”
“Superstar: Broncos white CBRiley Moss has allowed the lowest completion percentage (39.1) of any NFL defensive back this season,” NFL influencer/troll Dov Kleiman wrote on his official X account. “Moss is criminally underrated.”
The Broncos are one of the NFL’s hottest teams and winners of 4 consecutive games and sitting with a 6-2 record and in first place in the AFC West headed into a Week 9 road game against the Houston Texans.
Broncos Legend Heaps Praise on Moss
Legendary Broncos cornerback and Super Bowl champion Aqib Talib heaped praise on Moss following Denver’s 44-24 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8.
Talib, a 2-time NFL All-Pro and 5-time Pro Bowler, played for the Broncos from 2014 to 2017 and was one of the stars on Denver’s defense that led them to a win over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50.
“I need a Riley Moss jersey,” Talib said. “I’m a Riley Moss fan …. I don’t care what everybody else is talking about. The heart is what I (expletive) with. Accept the challenge, man. The confidence, man. Somebody get me a Riley Moss jersey. I need one.”