Through the 1st 2 games, Denver Broncos cornerback Jahdae Barron has played 6 defensive snaps — 4 in a season-opening loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and 2 in a Week 2 comeback win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Since Barron was selected in the 1st round (No. 20 overall) of the 2025 NFL Draft, he’s been thoroughly outplayed by every member of the Broncos’ secondary and hasn’t ever really threatened to take the job of either slot cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian, an undrafted free agent, or outside cornerback and former 3rd-round pick.
The truth is, he probably never will. The truth is, the Broncos need to pay both McMillian and Moss, who are in contract years, and see if they can trick some cornerback-needy team into trading for Barron.
If the Broncos cut bait now and get a 2nd- or 3rd-round pick back for Barron, it would have to be looked at like a win for the Broncos after a huge miss by their scouting department, coaches, and executives who decided to draft Barron in the 1st place.
“Man who could have guessed taking a CB high in the most stacked CB room in the league was a stupid decision,” Broncos fan Seur wrote on their official X account.
Barron Played Way Into Less Snaps After Week 1
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!”
Broncos Passed Over Future Stars for Barron
While the 2025 NFL Draft was pretty lackluster overall, the biggest failing for the Broncos’ scouting department came in the form of 1 player selected shortly after Barron who could have addressed perhaps Denver’s weakest position group.
The Cleveland Browns selected inside linebacker Carson Schwesinger at No. 33 overall — the 1st pick of the 2nd round — and not only did he win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year but he’s already looked at as 1 of the NFL’s best players at his position.
Imagine how Schwesinger may have fit on Denver’s defense?
Denver Broncos Urged to Trade Disappointing 1st-Round Pick