The Denver Broncos’ secondary is jam-packed with stars. The five key members of Denver’s ‘No Fly Zone’, need no introduction, but there is budding talent in the secondary not named Harris Jr., Talib, Ward, Stewart or Roby.
One defensive back that is drawing attention through seven days of camp isn’t even named Parks or Simmons. As the downslope of camp begins, arguably the surprise in the Broncos’ secondary is third-year cornerback Lorenzo Doss.
Despite playing in just 12 games and recording just four tackles over those two seasons, one established corner believes Doss is ready to make the jump.
“Doss is taking that step,” cornerback Aqib Talib said after Thursday’s practice. “He’s making a lot of plays on that ball, and besides that he’s in the right spot a lot more than he was last year. We got a little bored, but we keep track of everything. His mental error column is almost empty and he’s getting better in that area.”
Talib would know, he’s seen Doss grow from the moment he arrived in Denver as a fifth-round draft pick in 2015.
Doss’ play through seven days of training camp hasn’t only caught the eyes of his teammates, he’s caught the eye of his defensive coordinator as well.
“Lorenzo, I always tell him he’s a four-leaf clover,” defensive coordinator Joe Woods said after Sunday’s practice. “For whatever reasons, when he’s in the game he’s always around the football. He’s a very instinctive player. Coming out of Tulane he had 16 picks.”
While luck may have had a hand in it, those interceptions weren’t all lucky. While Woods’ admires Doss’ nose for the football, that’s also one of the things that gets him into some trouble.
“When you see him, he’s always around the ball,” Woods said. “He makes plays. Sometimes he cheats a little too much and that’s what gets him in trouble. He had the double move over there in [a drill] and I just told him to stay top down, but it’s just his natural instincts. He just has it. The biggest thing for him is continue to improve the other areas of this game.”
The Broncos’ secondary is loaded, and Doss may need some of that four-leaf clover to crack the rotation in 2017, but at the halfway point of camp, he’s on the right track.
