Expectations and projections for Ronald Darby with the Broncos in 2021

George Paton’s first free agent signing as general manager of the Denver Broncos was also his biggest. Financially, at least.

Hours after free agency opened, Paton began rebuilding Denver’s cornerback room by locking in Ronald Darby with a three-year, $30 million deal.

But just because the Broncos spent the most money in free agency on Darby doesn’t necessarily mean he will be the most productive player they signed. Here’s why.

Projections for 2021: Solid No. 2 corner; 2 interceptions; 14 passes defended; 51 tackles; 13 games played

The former second-round pick is the ultimate boom-or-bust player in two respects.

The first is in regards to his availability. In three of Darby’s six seasons, he’s played and started in at least 14 games. However, in the other three years of his career, he’s missed an average of nearly seven games per year—almost half the season. Since last year was the only season in which Darby didn’t miss a single game, it’s wise that Denver has a contingency plan in place if the 27-year old can’t make it through the entire season. Hello Patrick Surtain II.

The 5-foot-11, 193-pound corner is also a boom-or-bust player in his approach to the game. But there’s a catch.

Darby approaches defense with an aggressive mindset. He’s not thinking prevent. Instead, he’s trying to make a big play.

But here’s the catch. When his aggressiveness does pay off, the big plays aren’t interceptions, they are pass break ups. For a player often around the ball, Darby surprisingly only has eight interceptions in his six-year career. Despite playing in all 16 games last year, Darby didn’t have a single interception with the Washington Football Team.

At the same time, however, Darby’s 16 passes defended was the fifth-most in the NFL last year. In every season but one—in 2017 when he only played in eight games—Darby has had at least 10 passes defended.

The bust aspect of his game comes in the form of giving up long passes. When being aggressive doesn’t pay off, he will give up deep passes over the top.

When quarterbacks look Darby’s way, it’s hard for them to complete a pass. But when they do, it can be a big-time play for the offense.

An aspect of Darby’s game that is nearly automatic is his tackling. Not only is Darby a willing tackler, but he’s good at it. That’s music to Vic Fangio’s ears.

The reason why Darby might not be the most productive free agent signing isn’t a slight to him at all, it’s because five days after landing Darby, the Broncos signed All-Pro corner Kyle Fuller. With two Pro Bowl appearances, one All-Pro year and five 16-game seasons under his belt, Fuller projects to be Denver’s No. 1 cornerback.

The competition in the cornerback room won’t stop there for Darby either. Although Bryce Callahan is projected to be inside in the slot, the Broncos will be looking for any excuse to get No. 9 overall pick Pat Surtain on the field as often as possible.

If Darby misses a few games due to injury and the first-round pick plays well in his spot, it will be very difficult for the veteran corner to take back his starting spot if Surtain continues to perform well. The same can be said if Darby struggles.

Regardless of what the depth chart looks like, however, Fangio will make sure to get all four cornerbacks on the field as much as possible.

With a defense featuring Von Miller, Bradley Chubb, Justin Simmons, Kareem Jackson, Callahan, Fuller and Surtain, Darby will be surrounded by plenty of talent to have a boom season. The key will be staying healthy.