In terms of talent, there was never a question about the best secondary in the league that resided in Denver. However, there was a question about availability.
On Tuesday, those questions were put to rest as the Broncos were informed of the fate of one member of the No Fly Zone and determined the fate of another.
The first news of the day came from inside the UCHealth Training Center as it was reported that the Broncos are expected to pick up the fifth-year option of cornerback Bradley Roby. Then, just a few hours later, the NFL informed the Broncos and Aqib Talib that he will not face any disciplinary actions for the incident last June where he shot himself in the leg.
This means that barring any unforeseen transactions, the best trio of cornerbacks in the league, including Chris Harris Jr., will have at least two more seasons together.
Since Roby was Denver’s first-round pick in 2014, the Broncos had an option to add a fifth-year to his rookie contract for a significant price increase, but had to decide before May 3 of this year. With the expectation that the team will pick up his fifth-year option, Roby will go from making $1.368 million this upcoming season to $8.562 million for the 2018 season.
Although this is a steep price to pay for a third corner, the luxury has paid of well the past two seasons as Denver has led the league in pass defense in terms of yards per game allowed through the air.
While it comes as little surprise that the Broncos wanted to keep Roby around for another year, it was more of a shock that Talib won’t face any disciplinary action—ranging from a multi-game suspension to a fine.
On June 5 of last year, Talib suffered a gunshot wound to his lower right leg in Dallas. After months of review, the Dallas Police Department determined that Talib had shot himself. It was expected that Talib would face a suspension for at least a few games, however, the NFL eventually didn’t have enough evidence to follow through with any punishment.
Now, Denver enters the 2017 and 2018 seasons with the best trio of corners in the league still intact and questions about the future silenced at least for another two seasons.
On Tuesday, the No Fly Zone is flying high.
