During Denver Broncos cornerback Jahdae Barron’s rookie season, there were plenty of ways to explain away why he couldn’t seem to get on the field.
After the Broncos’ 31-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1, it’s more difficult to explain why the former 1st-round pick is watching from the sidelines — and why he’s not already an outright draft bust.
Barron posted an alarming stat against the Chiefs: he only saw the field for 12 total snaps — 4 on defense and 8 on special teams.
“Jahdae Barron only played four defensive snaps for the Broncos against the Chiefs,” DNVR’s Zac Stevens wrote on his official X account.
“Broncos second-year DB Jahdae Barron played a meager four snaps from scrimmage last night,” The Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson wrote on his official X account. “Had eight on special teams.”
“2025 1st-rounder Jahdae Barron played 4 defensive snaps against KC on MNF,” Sleeper Broncos wrote on its official X account.
Jahdae Barron Joined Teammates in 1 Critical Area
Barron wasn’t left out of the 1 defining metric the entire Broncos defense got in on against the Chiefs — missed tackles.
“The Broncos defense missed 28 tackles against the Chiefs, allowing 247 yards after missed tackles, the most yards allowed by any defense in a game since at least 2018,” Next Gen Stats wrote on its official X account. “The Broncos had eight different defenders miss multiple tackles on the night.”
Barron was 1 of those defenders, even though he was only on the field for 4 defensive plays.
“Kenneth Walker powered through a Jahdae Barron tackle attempt on the sideline just enough to convert a third-and-10,” The Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel wrote on his official X account.
“What a TERRIBLE Draft pick Jahdae Barron has been,” Broncos Brasil wrote on X. “Impossible to keep him on the field at the expense of Ja’Quan McMillian. HORRIBLE Tackle on Kenneth Walker that cost a 3rd to 10 conversion. EMBARRASSING!”
‘Clock Ticking’ on Jahdae Barron in Year 2
Barron’s biggest hurdle has been his inability to outplay undrafted free agent slot cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian at any point in the last 2 years.
McMillian, on the other hand, has thrived with the competition and is widely considered to be 1 of the NFL’s best at his position.
The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner singled out the No. 20 overall pick as one of several 2025 1st-rounders with the “clock ticking” in 2026.
“(Barron) was more of a reserve/subpackage defender than a full-time starting outside corner,” Baumgardner wrote. “Some of that, at least early, was likely by design — Barron was sort of a slot/outside corner tweener when the Broncos used a first-round pick on him. The 5-foot-11, 200-pounder didn’t play much in Denver’s playoff win over the Buffalo Bills and saw just five snaps in an AFC Championship Game loss to the New England Patriots.”
Struggling Broncos’ 1st-Round Pick Posts Alarming Stat in Week 1