BALTIMORE – What, you don’t think John Elway knows the Broncos need cornerback help?
Elway knows. The Broncos’ general manager has been looking for a cornerback. He wants a cornerback. But the way it works with the cornerback position, such a player doesn’t become available just because a team needs one.
“We’re always looking for somebody out there who can come in and help us,’’ Elway said after his Broncos suffered their first loss of the season, a 27-13 setback to the Baltimore Ravens. “Especially at corner. Everybody wants one and everybody wants one at the right time, but somebody has to be there and someone has to be willing to make a move. So, we’ll continue to look at that. It looks like Adam will be back healthy next week so that’ll help.’’
The Broncos need to address cornerback depth after No. 3 cornerback Adam Jones missed the game Sunday with tightness in his hamstring or thigh, and his replacement, Tramaine Brock, went down early in the game against the Baltimore Ravens with a groin strain.
“The groin had been bothering me,’’ Brock said. “But I wanted to play and when I turned to open up to run it grabbed on me.’’
Brock said he wasn’t sure how seriously he strained the muscle and would know more after he undergoes an MRI on Monday morning.
With Jones and Brock down, the Broncos played more than three quarters Sunday with only three cornerbacks – and one, Isaac Yiadom, was making his NFL debut.
Yiadom is a third-round rookie who didn’t dress in the Broncos’ first two games. Jones and Brock are both on the wrong side of 30. Is Yiadom ready to become a No. 3 corner behind Chris Harris Jr. and Bradley Roby, ready or not?
“One hundred percent,’’ he said. “I study every single week. Even when I wasn’t playing I was studying. I go into every single game to compete to the best of my ability and do what I got to do and just try to find a way to win.’’
Jones is expected to be ready to play Monday night against the Kansas City Chiefs, whose quarterback Patrick Mahomes, has a record 13 touchdown passes against zero interceptions in a 3-0 start.
Jones’ return would hope, but Harris is more concerned about the scheme.
“It doesn’t matter who we have out there,’’ Harris said. “We’ve got to confuse the quarterback. He knows everything that we’re doing. We’ve got to try and trick him.’’
See, Derek Carr completing 29 of 32 in week 2. And Joe Flacco 24 of 36 for 280 yards going into the fourth quarter in week 3.
“The quarterbacks are getting the ball out fast, they’re not thinking about where they have to go,’’ Harris said. “So, we’ve got try to confuse them as a defense. Disguise better as a whole in the secondary and move around. We can’t just be stagnant, sitting ducks. Right now, we’re stagnant, we’re not moving around, we’re not doing anything to confuse the quarterback and it’s very easy right now for them.’’
