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Broncos’ Jahdae Barron waited for his chance. Now it’s here with Denver’s starting CBs sidelined.

Jahdae Barron (23) of the Denver Broncos stretches during training camp at Broncos Park in Centennial on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

Under the hot Austin, Texas, sun in the summer of 2020, three future NFL players escaped the confines of pandemic restrictions to train together at a local facility.

Jahdae Barron, Andrew Mukuba and Michael Taaffe were still in high school, eager to make a name for themselves in the crowded Texas football scene. The three worked out together for 100 straight days that summer, spending hours training under the watch of Bernard “Bam” Blake.

“The workouts got real competitive,” Mukuba told The Post. “It forced us to get close.”

After workouts, Barron would sit with the others inside Blake’s gym, talking for hours.

That summer, Barron’s close friend — Tardrick “Trollie” Fowler Jr. — died in June in Austin. Everyone knew Fowler, Austin native and Broncos cornerback Sean Fresch Jr. told The Post, but Barron was particularly close with him. Fresch and Barron were training with Blake when they found out their 19-year-old friend had passed away.

“It really hurt,” Fresch said.

The next day, Barron was back in the gym training.

Six years later, Barron returned to Austin in the summer with a new goal. After struggling to find playing time as a rookie with the Broncos, Barron trained up to three times a day. He would work out with Blake and Taaffe in the morning, then lift at the University of Texas or a local high school in the afternoon and end the dae in a steam room or sauna, Taaffe said.

Other days included yoga and stretching, catching hundreds of balls on the Jugs machine or recovering at Kollective, a social performance club in Austin. Barron was not only trying to make the second-year leap so many fans expected from him, but also recover from a surgical procedure he underwent in February.

“That was the hardest I’ve ever seen Jahdae work,” Taaffe, a Miami Dolphins safety, told The Post. “He’s really hungry right now.”

Barron watched film of his 2025 season with Taaffe. He studied defensive coordinator Vance Joseph’s complicated defensive designs, the scheme that made it difficult for him to get on the field in his first year. Barron worked on minute details and prepared to play as a dime defensive back, a role he filled as a rookie.

Mukuba and Barron also talked about their trying rookie seasons over the summer. Mukuba suffered a fractured ankle that ended his year, while Barron started just five games.

“He was self-aware, he knew what he needed to do,” Mukuba, a Philadelphia Eagles safety, said. “They brought you there for a reason.”

Barron arrived at training camp in Denver vying for the outside cornerback job opposite Pat Surtain II. Then Riley Moss had a breakout summer, cementing himself as the team’s starter. Barron was left on the bench again, beaten out in two straight years by emerging players in Moss and Ja’Quan McMillian.

San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk (44) is tackled by Denver Broncos cornerback Jahdae Barron (23) during an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Scot Tucker)

He played even less to start his second season. Barron received just 30 defensive snaps through the first three weeks of the season, the second-lowest snap total of any healthy first-round rookie from the 2025 draft class.

This was a player who was so good in high school that his coach regretted not making an exception to his longstanding rule against playing freshmen on varsity. Barron played in 56 games at Texas, starting 38 of them.

“Is he frustrated (by the lack of playing time)? I’m sure he is. He wants to play more, but that frustration I can promise you is pointed at himself first,” Texas defensive backs coach Blake Gideon said. “He’s not the blame guy. He’s not going ‘these coaches or these guys.’ No, no, no, no. That’s not Jahdae Barron.”

So who is Barron? He’s the 24-year-old who bought his mother a house this offseason, switched to No. 2,d got a tattoo to honor Fowler Jr., and keeps Bible verse cards in his locker while frequently reading quotes to teammates. He’s also “cheap”, according to multiple teammates , trying to negotiate his way out of picking up the check at the Broncos’ weekly defensive back dinner.

On Sunday, he’ll finally be the man in the Broncos’ cornerback room.

After Surtain and Moss were injured in the team’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Barron is expected to start at cornerback against the Los Angeles Chargers. Everybody who knows Barron said he understands the opportunity in front of him — an extended chance at playing time and a chance to show his pedigree.

“Anytime you have a chance to increase your role, that’s all any player can ask for in this league,” Broncos defensive backs coach Doug Belk told The Post.

It’s the perfect opportunity for the mindset Barron has always had, Taaffe said. Once you get on the field, don’t ever come off.

“He’s gonna get tested. They’re going to go after him, and I think he’s looking forward to that,” Jason Cecil, Barron’s high school coach, said.

A family-first player

First-round pick Jahdae Barron with his family at Denver Broncos headquarters in Englewood, Colorado on Friday, April 25, 2025. Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron was selected by the Denver Broncos with the 20th overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)

Barron grew up in Corpus Christi before moving to Austin. That’s where Barron met Fresch, a Broncos practice squad player. The two ran track together, attended the same private school and played in the same youth football league.

Fresch immediately noticed that Barron was a “big family guy.” Raised by his mother, Techonia Davis, Barron is one of six siblings. Barron, who is extremely close with his mother, would tell Fresch about his dream of taking care of his family.

Football came naturally to Barron. Despite being a short, skinny child — Barron estimates he weighed 150 pounds as a young high schooler — Cecil spotted him almost immediately while he was in middle school.

“You could tell he was special,” Cecil said.

Barron was a running back for most of his young career. When he got to John B. Connally High School, Cecil immediately started pitching him on moving to defensive back.

Barron resisted. He hated the idea of tackling and, like most young players, wanted the ball in his hands. Once he switched, though, the transition was seamless.

“He took to it so quickly,” Cecil said. “You could see from Day 1 it was the right move.”

Barron became a star, earning all-state honors and establishing himself as a highly regarded prospect.

His talent oozed on the field, but Cecil worked to rein in Barron’s confidence. The longtime coach called Barron the most confident player he’s ever coached, which he said was “good and bad.”

“He wasn’t the most humble kid as a high schooler,” Cecil said. “In high school he could get by without watching film. All he had to do was play man and get by with talent.”

But Barron took coaching well. Cecil said he used to “light his (expletive) up” if he saw Barron acting out.

Texas almost missed out on him, though. Barron originally committed to Baylor before decommitting after coach Matt Rhule departed for the NFL. He eventually flipped to Texas and Gideon.

“I know things haven’t always been easy for Jahdae … His upbringing and the challenges of moving at a pivotal time in his young life and finding his way,” Gideon said. “He navigated (college recruiting) all the way through, mostly by himself. He’s got some figure-it-out to him that not everybody has.”

Jahdae Barron #7 of the Texas Longhorns reacts in the second quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the Goodyear Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium on Jan. 10, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

Once Barron arrived on campus, Texas immediately earmarked him as a player it could train at different positions. He “took care” of Taaffe while the safety was still a walk-on. Barron still checks in with his hometown friends from his locker in Denver, Broncos tight end Evan Engram said.

Barron played in 41 games across his first four seasons in Austin. Entering his senior year, though, he still wasn’t regarded as a top-level NFL draft prospect.

On a summer night in 2024, Barron walked into Gideon’s office and asked a simple question.

“What do I need to do to get ready for the NFL?”

Gideon asked if he was ready for a challenging conversation, and the two sat down. They pulled up practice tape, offseason film and previous games from Barron’s career. They talked about what he needed to tweak and change to get better. It was a “very challenging” discussion, Gideon said.

Barron showed up the next night for more.

He exploded onto the national scene as a senior, becoming just the third Longhorn to win the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back. He joined Michael Huff, the 2005 winner, and Aaron Ross, who won in 2006. Barron switched to No. 7 for his senior season after telling Huff he wanted to honor his legacy.

“To go from being somewhat immature to now, he’s become such a stud,” Taaffe said.

The Broncos were clearly impressed. They picked Barron with the 20th overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft despite already having two young cornerbacks in Surtain and Moss.

Cecil, a longtime Broncos fan, said he was probably the happiest man in the room during Barron’s draft-day party. Even he was surprised by the pick.

“The fact that they drafted him with the corner room they have was shocking,” Cecil said.

There were flashes during his rookie year — an interception against the Dallas Cowboys and a beautiful pass breakup against All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce. All in all, it wasn’t the type of rookie season fans expected from Barron.

“I know he’s not happy with how things have gone,” Cecil said. “But I’ve never caught an ounce of negativity.”

Finding a role in Denver

Cornerback Jahdae Barron (23) of the Denver Broncos reacts to a missed interception of a pass by Washington Commanders on Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, at Northwest Stadium in Landover, MD. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post)

Barron’s offseason was about finding a way to get on the field more. That meant working on the details that held him back as a rookie and preparing for the different roles the Broncos could ask him to play.

Denver has cross-trained Barron at multiple positions in the secondary, trying to find more ways to contribute. But playing different spots also means learning different responsibilities.

Broncos safety Tycen Anderson described Barron’s situation as essentially wearing three different caps. A player has to compartmentalize each role and change how he processes the game depending on where he lines up.

“I’m playing safety, so I gotta think a certain way. I’m playing nickel, so now my processing got to be way faster. OK, I’m playing corner so now I gotta look at splits and a bunch of other (expletive),” Anderson said.

For Barron, his versatility could theoretically help him find a role in a crowded secondary. But it’s a lot easier said than done. Imagine learning three different languages. Now imagine having to become fluent in all of them and still be better than someone with more years of experience.

“We wouldn’t ask him (to play different positions) if he wasn’t capable,” Belk said.

Despite the challenges of his first two years, Barron has fit well into the Broncos’ defensive back room. His goofy personality balances out the group.

The Broncos’ defensive backs get together for a weekly dinner, trying new restaurants and rotating who pays for the meal. If it’s Barron’s turn, there are usually complaints.

“For him to be a first-rounder, he’s really cheap,” cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine said.

“He’s good as long as he don’t gotta pay,” Anderson added.

Barron’s teammates have seen how badly he wants to play. Now, with a bigger opportunity in front of him, he’ll have a chance to show the Broncos — and their fans — why they used a first-round pick on him.

“He’s definitely been wanting to play more,” Engram said.

He’ll get his chance Sunday.