Tag: White Cornerback

NFL fans reacts to Riley Moss making plays on ‘Thursday Night Football’

Yes, the Broncos have a white cornerback. Yes, he’s good. Riley Moss turned heads on ‘Thursday Night Football’ against the Saints.

Denver Broncos second-year cornerback Riley Moss has impressed this season, and he played in a prime-time spotlight for the first time in Week 7 when the New Orleans Saints hosted the Broncos on Thursday Night Football.

Moss had been starting across from star cornerback Pat Surtain and holding his own through six games. With Surtain unavailable for Thursday’s game due to a concussion, Moss is Denver’s No. 1 cornerback this week.

Moss has been teased by fans and pundits (and even teammates) for being the NFL’s first white cornerback to start full-time since Jason Sehorn, who played for the New York Giants from 1994-2003.

Here’s a sampling of how Twitter/X reacted to Moss’ performance on Thursday:

https://twitter.com/lxrdantar/status/1847088077694816570

https://twitter.com/Hawkeye2theBrim/status/1847087698097402068

https://twitter.com/StromboliOlie/status/1847087461219893653

https://twitter.com/HunnidAcreWoods/status/1847086917051208309

https://twitter.com/bigd_o_cycler/status/1847087020369498554

https://twitter.com/chipchrome96/status/1847086762704695513

https://twitter.com/Smallball303/status/1847086484484182057

https://twitter.com/lxrdantar/status/1847086506864975938

https://twitter.com/KingJaffeJoPHer/status/1847086385141891121

https://twitter.com/chilltakes_/status/1847086371099341137

https://twitter.com/Download_This_/status/1847086449180422310

https://twitter.com/HollywoodTitan/status/1847086696287867382

Moss, 24, was picked by the Broncos in the third round of last year’s NFL draft out of Iowa. Going into TNF, he had 39 tackles, five pass breakups, one interception and one forced fumble through his first six starts in the NFL.

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Ryan Clark praises Broncos CB Riley Moss in entertaining video

“This is a minority at the position!” Clark said of Riley Moss. “He became the first white cornerback to have an interception in 22 years!”

During a recent episode of Inside the NFL on the CW, former NFL safety Ryan Clark named Denver Broncos cornerback Riley Moss his “Football Guy” of the week.

Clark praised Moss for his play and mentioned what has been a trending topic in Broncos Country: Moss is a rare white cornerback.

“I’m going to read to you some of his stats: 19-for-31 when targeted, only 179 yards allowed on the entire season,” Clark said. “He has three pass defensed. He also had an interception last week against Gardner Minshew. He is one of 15 cornerbacks that have been targeted 30-plus times because he plays opposite Pat Surtain.

“But, wait, guys! I buried the lede! He’s white! He is a white [cornerback]! This is a minority at the position! Do you know the struggles this man had to go through? … He trusted the dream and this week when picking off Gardner Minshew, he became the first white cornerback to have an interception in 22 years! Since my teammate in 2022 Jason Sehorn.”

Clark then joked to Bill Belichick that the former coach was “like the Rosa Parks for [Moss].”

Clark played in the NFL from 2002-2014, winning Super Bowl XLIII with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2009. Moss was picked by Denver in the third round of last year’s NFL draft out of Iowa. A first-year starter, Moss has had an excellent start to the 2024 season.

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Pat Surtain teases Riley Moss with funny white cornerback meme

“A lot of people were questioning what the white cornerback was going to do, but he’s definitely making history,” PS2 said of Riley Moss.

Denver Broncos second-year cornerback Riley Moss has emerged as a key member of the team’s defense this season and he grabbed his first career interception against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.

“[H]e’s consistent each and every week and he prepares the right way and eventually he was going to make a play like that, and I’m very happy for him,” star cornerback Pat Surtain said of Moss after Sunday’s 34-18 win.

“It’s crazy because a lot of people were questioning what the white cornerback was going to do, but he’s definitely making history. It’s good to see him out there making plays and doing what he’s doing so I’m very proud of him.”

Moss is the first white cornerback to start regularly in the NFL since Jason Sehorn in the late 1990s and early 2000s. That has led to teasing from even his own teammates, but it’s all been good-natured.

“He for sure can jump, by the way,” Surtain said during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday. “I know that’s the reference going around, but he for sure can jump.”

https://twitter.com/PatMcAfeeShow/status/1843360730227294335

Surtain, of course, was referencing the 1992 comedy “White Men Can’t Jump.” Broncos fans turned the cover of that film into a meme featuring Surtain and Moss, and the cornerback re-shared the meme on Monday:

https://twitter.com/PatSurtainll/status/1843323250761441789

The teasing won’t stop from fans or pundits anytime soon.

https://twitter.com/BengalYouTube/status/1843054338417307753

https://twitter.com/_willcompton/status/1843068525260492969

Moss, 24, now has four pass breakups, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery through his first five starts in the NFL. He can jump, and he’s quickly emerging as one of the league’s top young corners.

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Broncos CB Riley Moss hopes Seahawks test him in Week 1

Set to make his first NFL start, Broncos CB Riley Moss hopes Seattle tests him. “I hope it’s gonna happen, and I’m ready to make a play.”

The Denver Broncos used a third-round draft pick to select Iowa cornerback Riley Moss last year. After undergoing core muscle surgery in the offseason, Moss was mostly limited to special teams duties as a rookie, but he is now expected to start across from Pat Surtain in Year 2.

Moss will make his first career start against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday afternoon, and he expects quarterback Geno Smith to test him.

“Absolutely,” Moss said Friday when asked if he thinks the Seahawks will want to test a cornerback making his first NFL start. “I’ve had this my first start at Iowa. I went out there and I got three deep bombs like [on the] first drive, and I ended up with two picks that day. So, it’s a thing that you know it’s gonna happen, I hope it’s gonna happen, and I’m ready to make a play.”

https://twitter.com/MaseDenver/status/1831968297455149375

Moss, 24, is the only white starting cornerback in the NFL, a factoid that has led to teasing from even his own teammates. With Surtain expected to follow DK Metcalf on Sunday, Moss will likely be primarily matched up against Tyler Lockett or Jaxon Smith-Njigba, depending on the formation.

After playing just 23 snaps on defense last season, Moss is still seeking his first career pass breakup and first career interception. Expected to draw plenty of targets on Sunday, Moss will have ample opportunities to make plays on Sunday.

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Pat Surtain reacts to funny meme featuring himself and Riley Moss

Pat Surtain loved it 🤣🤣🤣

Riley Moss is set to start for the Denver Broncos against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, making him the NFL’s only white starting cornerback. He will line up across from star cornerback Pat Surtain.

Ahead of the first start of Moss’ career, @Mr_Boggins on Twitter/X created a funny meme, repurposing a photo from the film “White Men Can’t Jump” by adding in Surtain and Moss.

Surtain loved it:

As for Moss, he knows he will be tested on Sunday, and he’s ready for it.

Sunday’s game between the Broncos and Seahawks will be regionally televised on CBS and available to stream on fuboTV (try it free). Denver is considered a 5.5-point underdog on the road.

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Broncos poised to start Riley Moss (a white cornerback) this season

“He gets a lot of flak for being one of the only white corners in the league,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of cornerback Riley Moss.

The Denver Broncos went into training camp this summer with Riley Moss and Damarri Mathis competing for the team’s No. 2 cornerback spot across from star Pat Surtain. Moss seemed to be leading the competition going into the final week of preseason, then Mathis suffered an ankle injury that landed him on injured reserve.

So while the Broncos have not officially announced it yet — an updated depth chart should be released next week — Moss is expected to start this season. He will be the only white starting cornerback in the NFL.

“He’s an extremely athletic player, you know, he gets a lot of flak for being one of the only white corners in the league, I get it,” Denver coach Sean Payton said during an interview with Kay Adams two weeks ago.

Moss was picked by the Broncos in the third round of last year’s NFL draft out of Iowa. After undergoing core muscle surgery in the offseason, he was limited to mostly special teams duties as a rookie. Now entering his second season, Moss is poised to start across from Surtain.

“Obviously, I think he’s got a little chip on his shoulder,” Surtain told Adams. “Because there’s a motto out there saying that there’s only three white corners in the NFL, so everybody’s going to be like, ‘Oh, man, let’s see what he got.”

https://twitter.com/heykayadams/status/1824189213216215444

The NFL’s last white cornerback to start consistently was Jason Sehorn, who overlapped with Payton while the coach was a QBs coach and later an offensive coordinator with the New York Giants from 1999-2002.

“Jason, uniquely, was different,” Payton said after drafting Moss in 2023. “Jason played safety in college. That’s an unusual conversion, regardless of who you are and where you’re from. He moved from safety to corner.

“He was a fantastic athlete. The closer to the receiver, the better for him. It’s too easy to say does [Moss] remind you of Jason. I would say there’s other corners we compare him to.”

Sehorn spent nine seasons in the NFL, starting 76 games. Moss is poised to make his first NFL start against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1 on Sept. 8. Let’s see what he got.

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