After losing Ronald Darby to a season-ending ACL injury, the Denver Broncos appear poised to turn to rookie Damarri Mathis at cornerback.
Mathis was picked by Denver in the fourth round of April’s draft out of Pittsburgh and he was serving as a rotational defensive back before Darby went down. The rookie might now be thrust into a starting role.
“Damarri has been out there and making plays,” star cornerback Pat Surtain said on Tuesday. “I’m sure there is nothing new to him, but it’s the NFL. You have to step up when your time comes. I know that he’s going to step up to the challenge, he’s going to make plays and do his best for the defense.”
Surtain went on to say that Mathis has gotten better with his preparation, which has made the young cornerback more confident on game days.
“You can just tell by his play and the way that he carries himself, he’s just getting more confident out there as the weeks go on,” Surtain said. “Once you see that in a rookie, you know that the sky is the limit for him.”
Mathis has totaled 12 tackles and one pass breakup through his first five games in the NFL. If he plays the first snap against the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday, it will mark the cornerback’s first start as a pro.
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