How did the secondary grade out in 2022? | The Ride

The Broncos’ 5-12 record left plenty to be desired, but the secondary doesn’t deserve much blame.

Even when Ronald Darby and Justin Simmons went down with injuries, the Broncos found answers.

Here’s how the secondary graded out…

(Remember: These grades are based on how playeres did when they were on the field. Availability isn’t factored in. Neither are expectations. C+ is an average grade.)

Cornerbacks

Pat Surtain II – A

Two bad games in back-to-back weeks tank the 22-year-old’s grade.

First, Davante Adams torched Surtain in their second matchup. Surtain was targeted six times and gave up 106 yards and two touchdowns. That was good for a perfect passer rating when Derek Carr threw the ball his way. Four of the catches and two of the touchdowns Surtain allowed were to Davante Adams.

Given that Adams might be the best receiver in the NFL, and that the rest of Surtain’s 2022 resume was nearly perfect, Surtain still could have earned his A+. But the next week, Surtain had another rough outing in Carolina, which included allowing another touchdown.

Surtain gave up four touchdowns and 417 yards in 2022. Most of the catches Surtain allowed were short, underneath throws against off coverage, as evidenced by his 10.2 yards per catch allowed. Overall, he gave up an 84 passer rating for the season, when targeted.

Surtain was spectacular in 2022, and he is much closer to an A+ than an A-, but the midseason slump holds his grade down.

Ronald Darby – B+

It’s easy to forget because of the torn ACL Darby suffered in Week 5, but the veteran cornerback was playing awesome football.

Darby was targeted 20 times and gave up 10 catches before his injury. He gave up 111 yards. Those numbers are good for a 66.9 passer rating when targeted. The efficiency is incredible, but the raw numbers are arguably even more impressive considering opponents were unwilling to challenge Pat Surtain on the other side of the field.

Darby’s future with the Broncos is uncertain. The team could save $10 million by moving on from him this offseason, and they may be willing to roll with Damarri Mathis across from Pat Surtain. His injury complicates the situation further.

Don’t be surprised if the Broncos try to find a way to keep Darby around for less money.

K’Waun Williams – B

The 31-year-old nickelback joined the Broncos this offseason and was a valuable piece of a stellar secondary. He specialized as a blitzer from the slot and led the Broncos’ secondary with seven pressures, which was four more than second-place Pat Surtain. Williams was no slouch in coverage, either. He allowed a 78.7 passer rating and only gave up 50 yards in one game.

Williams is under contract for another season, and should provide the same versatility in Year 2.

Damarri Mathis – C

Damarri Mathis’ time in the starting lineup got off to a rough start.

After Ronald Darby tore his ACL in Week 5 against the Colts, the rookie stepped into his boundary cornerback role across from Patrick Surtain II. Mathis took over late in the second quarter and was targeted nine times. He gave up nine catches for 94 yards.

The next week, Mathis’ first start, the rookie was called for four pass interferences. To put that in perspective, only one player was called for more than four penalties over the course of the entire season.

But Mathis was good the rest of the way. He started 10 more games and gave up, 73 yards, 44 yards, 31 yards, 29 yards, 28 yards, 23 yards, 20 yards, 10 yards, 8 yards and 0 yards. Working across from Surtain, those are some impressive marks.

Mathis has the speed to match up with 95% of receivers in the league and he put it to good usse. He may be the Broncos’ opening-day starter as a sophomore next season.

Essang Bassey – C

Bassey’s most intense workload of the season came when he played 44 snaps against the Raiders in Week 11. He worked the slot in place of K’Waun Williams and held his own… except for when he lined up against Davante Adams.

Adams caught a couple of passes against Bassey and drew a third-down holding that moved the chains. Bassey couldn’t quite keep up.

Still, the 24-year-old should be proud of the step he took in 2022. He isn’t ready to shut down the best of the best, but he can hold his own against NFL slot receivers more often than not. His 75.8 passer rating allowed when targeted is evidence.

Ja’Quan McMillian – B

The undrafted rookie didn’t make his NFL debut until Week 18, but he made his presence felt.

McMillian played every defensive snap against the Chargers, starting in place of Damarri Mathis. The numbers don’t necessarily paint a pretty picture—he gave up six catches on 12 targets for 94 yards and no pass breakups—but he looked the part. He picked off a pass but had the interception called back by the referees in a controversial decision. He hit Mike Williams deep downfield but whoever is in charge of keeping stats didn’t credit him with a pass breakup.

McMillian didn’t get drafted last year despite finishing second in the NCAA with 16 pass breakups and third with five interceptions, and earning AP All-America honors. The Broncos can’t bet on the 22-year-old becoming a starter, but he did nearly everything you could ask of him in a tiny sample size.

Lamar Jackson – D

Lamar Jackson joined the Broncos’ practice squad midseason and didn’t see the field until Week 17 against the Chiefs when he earned an extensive workload. Things didn’t go well.

Jackson gave 98 yards on 10 targets, as the Chiefs picked on him throughout the first half. The 25-year-old has the physical tools to carve out a role in the NFL, but he didn’t display them in Kansas City.

Safeties

Justin Simmons – A

Halfway through the season, the Broncos’ star safety was playing fine.

Then, from December on, Justin Simmons recorded both of his tackles for loss, five of his six interceptions, five of his seven pass breakups and all three of his forced fumbles. Simmons finished the year as the NFL’s forced turnover leader.

While Simmons earns the best possible grade, he wasn’t flawless. Most of his issues arose in the early part of the season. He missed a tackle in every game, and he missed multiple in two of the first three games of the year. But, in my opinion, the missed tackles were more of an issue because he is misused in the Broncos’ defensive scheme. Simmons might be the best middle-of-the-field free safety in the NFL, but the Broncos’ system uses safeties interchangeably, so Simmons spends half the game playing a strong safety role.

We don’t excuse mistakes because of the role he was asked to play, but it’s worth keeping in mind in case the Broncos lose their defensive coordinator and change their scheme. Simmons’ best could be yet to come.

Kareem Jackson – C+

For the first time in his career, Kareem Jackson showed his age in 2022.

The best example was when the 34-year-old gave up a touchdown on the exact same corner route in back-to-back games against the Jaguars and Titans. Jackson just did have the burst to keep up with the receiver out of the break.

Despite taking a slight step back, Jackson didn’t play poorly, although he was much closer to a C grade than a B-. He was a solid contributor. And he was consistent, too; he was on the field more than any other Broncos defender last season.

Given the Broncos’ situation at safety, Jackson may be a great option for 2023. If he’s able to uphold his 2022 level of play, he’d be a capable insurance plan in case Caden Sterns or PJ Locke isn’t ready to take over the starting job.

Caden Sterns – B+

If you only watched the Colts game, you might think Caden Sterns is the Broncos’ best defender. He dropped into the middle of the field and picked off Matt Ryan twice on similar plays. Both throws were bad decisions but Sterns snuck into position to make the plays, so we’re giving him credit. A thump on Michael Pittman Jr. at the sticks prevented a first down in that same game.

Unfortunately, that Week 5 matchup with Indy was the last time Sterns took the field in 2022. He also played about 30% of his 2022 snaps in that game—one of his three starts in place of Justin Simmons—so it improves his grade significantly.

Sterns made mistakes in 2022—he missed 20% of his tackles, trailing only Bradley Chubb among Broncos—but he gave up a 15.2 passer rating when targeted in 2022, so it’s tough to dock his grade.

Sterns is a great fit for the Fangio-style defense the Broncos have run for the past four seasons. He’s a free safety by trade but has the physical tools to play in the box. His injury occurred a month before his 23rd birthday, so there should be another gear on the way.

PJ Locke – B-

Locke, who turned 26 this week, only received extensive work against the Titans, but it’s tough to find low points for the third-year safety. Locke doesn’t have special speed or size but he makes up for it with a willingness to get his nose dirty.

Locke’s season highlight came when he sealed a win against the 49ers by punching out a fumble in the fourth quarter.