Tag: slot cornerback

Sean Payton pleased with ‘extremely smart’ CB Ja’Quan McMillian

“He has really good football instincts,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of slot cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian.

The Denver Broncos ask a lot out of their slot cornerbacks.

“They have to be smart,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said last month. “They end up playing the role somewhat of a linebacker so they have to be good in their run fits. They have to be, generally speaking, someone we feel like can be a pressure player. I’d say the other thing is their short area quickness has to be an asset. Those would be couple that stand out: smart, quick, pressure player, good tackler.”

Ja’Quan McMillian fits the bill.

Last season, McMillian totaled 51 tackles, five pass breakups, two interceptions, two sacks and two fumble recoveries playing in the slot. He’s exactly what Denver’s staff looks for at the position.

“He is extremely smart,” Payton said during training camo. “He caught us on a pressure today, disguised it well. We saw that a year ago. I kind of felt like he’s one of those players that kind of took a step into his own last year, created a lot of turnovers. He has really good football instincts and I think that is a trait that’s very important because there are a lot of adjustments that take place for that player when the motion goes or leaves.

“His fits in the run game are different than maybe the corners or even the safeties sometimes. So you’re looking for someone who has high football I.Q. and good COD [change of direction], someone that can tackle, and of course you’re going to play man-to-man, so how does he hold up when he’s covering up in the slot? [He handles] all of those things.”

McMillian joined the Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of East Carolina in 2022. He emerged as a key member of Denver’s secondary last season and McMillian figures to remain an important part of the defense this fall.

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Broncos CB Ja’Quan McMillian enters Year 3 after impressing in 2023

Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian had a breakout season in 2023. Now he’ll aim to continue improving in 2024.

Coming off an impressive second season in the NFL, Denver Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian is poised to take the next step in his career.

“He has really good instincts,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said when asked about McMillian on Dec. 12 last year. “Part of it is timing – you know, snap count, a lot of those things. He’s a smart player. That’s a good trait to have, you know his football IQ.”

McMillian finished his sophomore campaign in 2023 with 51 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions. Payton praised his instincts, parlaying his ability to a productive 2023 season.

“The instincts you feel and see on tape — it’s hard to measure those… You see that, and you feel that,” Payton said on Dec. 13. “Then in split-second decisions, he’s making the right ones and he’s in the right area.

“Guys that lack instincts will always find themselves kind of a day late and a dollar short. We spend a lot of time in the evaluation process with college or free agency trying to evaluate that, but I think that’s something that he’s done a good job with.”

McMillian joined the Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of East Carolina in 2022. He was promoted from the practice squad to the active roster for the team’s season finale in his rookie season. McMillian then had a breakout season last fall.

“‘J-Mac,’ who in his first year got to play in the last game, grew the entire offseason,” GM George Paton said on Jan. 9. “When he got his chance, he excelled.”

After playing in 16 games last season, McMillian is the favorite to serve as Denver’s top slot cornerback in 2024. If he keeps up his current trajectory, McMillian has a promising career ahead of him.

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Chris Harris comments on Ja’Quan McMillian comparison

Ja’Quan McMillian doesn’t have to be “the next Chris Harris” to be an excellent cornerback. “Jmac has been Jmac,” Justin Simmons said.

Ja’Quan McMillian has emerged as an impressive play-making defensive back for the Denver Broncos this season, totaling 42 tackles (including seven behind the line), four pass breakups, three quarterback hits, two interceptions and two sacks over the last ten games.

Playing in the slot, McMillian has reminded Broncos fans and pundits of former Broncos slot cornerback Chris Harris Jr., who was a key member of the team’s famous “No Fly Zone” secondary.

Many fans think of McMillian as a rookie because he was on the practice squad for all but one game last year, but as Harris pointed out on Twitter/X, McMillian is technically a second-year player.

“He’s an Excellent player (playmaker ) but I think I finished top 3 in the league my 2nd year and I played [outside] corner,” Harris wrote on Twitter/X.

(Harris was graded as the fifth-best cornerback in the NFL by Pro Football Focus in 2012, his second season.)

It’s not an insult from Harris, who has praised McMillian this season.

Broncos safety Justin Simmons wasn’t interested in making comparisons, noting that Jmac is Jmac and CHJR is CHJR.

He doesn’t have to be “the next Chris Harris” to be an excellent slot cornerback. McMillian has been exceptional for Denver this season, and fans and pundits have taken notice.

Ja’Quan McMillian continues to shine in the slot for Broncos

The Broncos seem to have found another gem in cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian.

The Denver Broncos made a surprising move on Oct. 3 when they cut Essang Bassey. It was a surprise at the time because Bassey had been the team’s slot cornerback through the first three games of the season, playing in nickel packages.

After seeing the performance of Bassey’s replacement, the decision is no surprise in hindsight.

Ja’Quan McMillian has been playing in the slot since Week 4 and he has impressed. McMillian’s in-season rise was no surprise to defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.

“He had a great spring, so I’m not surprised that he’s playing so well right now in the fall,” Joseph said on Oct. 19. “He’s a young guy who’s open-minded. He takes coaching every day. He’s the same guy every day. He works hard. He can tackle, and he can cover.

“He’s a perfect nickel profile for this defense. He’s improving every single day. His communication is getting better, and his confidence is getting better. The more he’s played, he’s improved, so that’s the key for him. It’s been fun to watch him play and play well.”

McMillian made his NFL debut in Denver’s season finale last year and he played well and should have been awarded an interception. He grabbed his first official interception in a 24-9 upset win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 8.

“I think he’s starting to play confidently,” Broncos safety Justin Simmons said of McMillian after the Chiefs game. “Any time you can go out there and play confidently, you play faster and things slow down for you. He’s getting into a rhythm and a flow, and his preparation in terms of his film study throughout the week and asking questions.

“I think he does such a good job of feeling what the offense is trying to give him and how they’re trying to set it up. …  I think ‘J-Mac’ just did a good job kind of playing what he was seeing and playing confidently and playing fast.”

McMillian, 23, has totaled 23 tackles (including five behind the line of scrimmage), two pass breakups and one interception through five games in the slot. McMillian has emerged as a key member of the secondary and it looks like the slot cornerback job could be locked up for the foreseeable future.

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Broncos signing slot CB K’Waun Williams to 2-year contract

The Broncos may have just found their new slot cornerback.

The Denver Broncos are signing veteran cornerback K’Waun Williams to a two-year, $7 million contract, Mike Kaye of the Pro Football Network first reported Tuesday afternoon.
Williams (5-9, 185 pounds) entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Pitt with the Cleveland Browns in 2014. After a two-year run in Cleveland, Williams had a brief stint with the Chicago Bears in 2016 before joining the San Francisco 49ers in 2017.
Over the last five seasons in San Francisco, Williams totaled 224 tackles, 17 pass breakups, eight forced fumbles, five sacks and four interceptions in 65 games (36 starts). The 30-year-old defensive back played in the slot for the 49ers and he might be the early favorite to win Denver’s nickel job this summer.
The Broncos have Pat Surtain and Ronald Darby returning as their top two outside cornerbacks with Michael Ojemudia and Essang Bassey providing depth behind them. Bryce Callahan had been the team’s slot cornerback over the last two years but he remains a free agent.
We are tracking all of Denver’s free agency moves on this page.

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Broncos signing DB J.R. Reed to 1-year contract

In addition to playing safety, new Broncos defensive back J.R. Reed can also play in the slot.

The Denver Broncos have agreed to terms with safety J.R. Reed on a one-year contract, the team announced Monday.

Reed (6-1, 194 pounds) is a third-year defensive back who entered the league as a college free agent out of Georgia with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020. After failing to make Jacksonville’s 53-man roster, Reed landed with the Los Angeles Rams.

Reed, 26, played in seven games with the Rams in 2020, contributing mainly on special teams. He only played in one game in L.A. last season before going down to the practice squad.

Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero coached Reed with the Rams over the last two years, first as a safeties coach (2020) and later as a secondary coach/passing game coordinator (2021).

The New York Jets signed Reed off the L.A.’s practice squad last October and he went on to play in eight games with the Jets, totaling 13 tackles. He also played on 44% of New York’s special teams snaps in 2021.

In addition to providing depth at strong safety, Reed might also be a candidate to play in the slot.

J.R. is the son of former NFL wide receiver Jake Reed and the nephew of former NFL cornerback Dale Carter, who spent time in Denver.

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Broncos CB Bryce Callahan healthy and ready for 2020 season

Broncos cornerback Bryce Callahan has recovered from his foot injury.

After missing all of the 2019 season with complications from foot surgery, Denver Broncos cornerback Bryce Callahan is healthy and ready for the 2020 season.

Callahan did have an illness before training camp started but he has since recovered and he’s had no drawbacks with his foot recovery.

“Bryce’s health is good,” Broncos coach Vic Fangio said during a Zoom conference call with reporters on Aug. 4. “A week or 10 days before we came back, he got sick — not COVID sick. He had a stomach virus and he lost some weight, so we have to get that back on him. His foot right now is fine, no problems.”

Denver brought in A.J. Bouye through a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason and selected Michael Ojemudia in the third round of the draft. Now that he’s healthy, Callahan is poised to serve as one of the Broncos’ top three cornerbacks, but his position is yet to be determined.

“We’re going to work him at both spots, playing corner and inside at nickel along with obviously a bunch of other people at both positions,” Fangio said. “We’ll see how it unfolds by the time we line up against Tennessee, but he’s going to work both spots.”

Denver will face the Titans on Monday Night Football in Week 1.

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Could the Seahawks pursue Trajan Bandy as nickel corner?

Trajan Bandy is an undersized CB who scouts believe will excel as a nickel corner in press coverage, making him an ideal fit for Seattle.

The Seattle Seahawks have a laundry list of priorities to take care of this offseason, most notably on the defensive and offensive lines.

After that they will need to find a third running back, a backup quarterback and another wide receiver or two and then, eventually, they’ll want to find players to compete with Ugo Amadi at the nickel cornerback position.

While it is not the team’s top priority, using the back end of the 2020 NFL draft could be a great way for this team to bring competition in for Amadi, while also developing key contributors on the special teams – likely as replacements for free agents Neiko Thorpe and Akeem King.

While Myles Bryant of UW is a popular choice for this gig, another name the Seahawks could target at the end of the draft or as an undrafted free agent is Miami CB Trajan Bandy.

Bandy is undersized, standing 5’8 with just 29 7/8 inch arms, which limited him in man coverage as an outside corner with the Hurricanes.

Most scouts are certain he will be a slot corner in the NFL, and he excels in zone and press coverages – two areas that should make him appealing for the Seahawks.

Additionally, Bandy is a solid tackler in the open field, suggesting he would be an asset on the special teams as a gunner.

The Seahawks will focus on pass rush and skilled offensive positions before they find competition for Amadi at the nickel, but once they turn their attention that way – Bandy is a solid option for them to pursue.

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Texans should keep Bradley Roby as their slot cornerback

The Houston Texans ought to consider keeping cornerback Bradley Roby around as a slot cornerback.

The Houston Texans have a bevy of decisions to make in free agency, especially since two of their starting cornerbacks are without contracts.

Houston may understandably move on from Johnathan Joseph, who will be 36 years old when the 2020 regular season kicks off. However, they could still get some utility out of Bradley Roby.

According to Pro Football Focus, the former 2014 Denver Broncos first-round pick was one of the sixth-best slot cornerbacks in the NFL in 2019.

Slot corner was a position the Texans didn’t figure out until well after the regular season kicked off. In fact, Aaron Colvin, the slot corner for Week 1, blew a coverage in the New Orleans Saints game that setup a last-second field goal and a 30-28 loss.

Bringing back Roby would solve that issue. Currently, the Texans have Gareon Conley, Vernon Hargreaves, and Lonnie Johnson all under contract. With a youth movement evident in Houston, the Texans could use some experience, and Roby would be an adequate fit in the slot.

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