Denver Broncos second-year cornerback Riley Moss has emerged as a key member of the team’s defense this season and he grabbed his first career interception against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
“[H]e’s consistent each and every week and he prepares the right way and eventually he was going to make a play like that, and I’m very happy for him,” star cornerback Pat Surtain said of Moss after Sunday’s 34-18 win.
“It’s crazy because a lot of people were questioning what the white cornerback was going to do, but he’s definitely making history. It’s good to see him out there making plays and doing what he’s doing so I’m very proud of him.”
Moss is the first white cornerback to start regularly in the NFL since Jason Sehorn in the late 1990s and early 2000s. That has led to teasing from even his own teammates, but it’s all been good-natured.
“He for sure can jump, by the way,” Surtain said during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday. “I know that’s the reference going around, but he for sure can jump.”
"Riley Moss stepped in day one with a lot of confidence and he prepares the right way..
He brings a lot of confidence to the secondary and he can jump by the way" 😂😂 @PatSurtainll #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/gTSb7QgKFS
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 7, 2024
Surtain, of course, was referencing the 1992 comedy “White Men Can’t Jump.” Broncos fans turned the cover of that film into a meme featuring Surtain and Moss, and the cornerback re-shared the meme on Monday:
— Patrick Surtain (@PatSurtainll) October 7, 2024
The teasing won’t stop from fans or pundits anytime soon.
The white cornerback, once considered extinct, still an endangered species… but thriving
Beautiful to see in its natural habitat pic.twitter.com/3XEGZhkmKY— Big Game Bengal (@BengalYouTube) October 6, 2024
They said Riley Moss would be selling life insurance!! That he couldn’t play cornerback!!
Look at him out there filing claims for the Broncos! https://t.co/HYk2MjrrV1
— Will Compton (@_willcompton) October 6, 2024
Moss, 24, now has four pass breakups, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery through his first five starts in the NFL. He can jump, and he’s quickly emerging as one of the league’s top young corners.
