Cornerback Riley Moss is a polarizing figure for the Denver Broncos. Fans bemoaned his seemingly constant penalties last season, when he was flagged 10 times for 203 yards — the most penalty yards allowed by any defender in the NFL. Moss would stand up and do his signature “incomplete” celebration, only to turn around and see a flag on the field for yet another pass interference call.
So when a Bleacher Report article suggested trading away Moss for a second- or third‑round pick, Zach Bye and Phillip Lindsay gave the idea some serious thought. That’s because Moss wasn’t all penalties and premature celebrations last season.
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Lindsay says that Moss “did a great job playing in man coverage” in Vance Joseph’s man‑heavy scheme, which frequently put outside corners one‑on‑one against opposing wide receivers. Phil goes on to say, “Yes, he was handsy and got a lot of penalties called on him, but when you’re covering guys that are 6-foot-3 and can run 4.3, it’s hard to stick with those guys all day long.”
And “all day long” is accurate. Moss was the most targeted corner in the league last year, with the receiver he was covering being targeted 118 times. But Moss didn’t just lead the league in penalty yards allowed — he also led the NFL in pass breakups with 19, tied with Mike Jackson of the Carolina Panthers according to ESPN.
Bye was surprised to learn this. “I did not realize when I woke up this morning that Riley Moss led the NFL in PBUs,” the co-host said.
Lindsay believes Moss is trending upward.
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“Riley Moss is only going to get better from here, and I’m not willing to trade him away,” the former Bronco said.
Bye agreed.
“You’re in a Super Bowl window; you’re not trading cornerback No 2,” he argued. “You’re just not.”
Moss allowed opposing quarterbacks an 88.2 passer rating when targeted last season. To put that into perspective, a quarterback with an 88.2 rating would have ranked 25th in the league last year — just below Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa.
So Riley Moss, in coverage, statistically turns the opposing quarterback into Tua Tagovailoa or worse? Sign the Broncos up.