Broncos Undrafted Rookie CB Forecasts 'Amazing' Play in Camp
Undrafted rookies have a notable history of making it with the Denver Broncos. Names like Rod Smith, Chris Harris, Jr., C.J. Anderson, Phillip Lindsay, and Shaq Barrett quickly come to mind when it comes to Denver's undrafted rookie heritage.
Starved of draft picks in 2023, Broncos GM George Paton doubled the team’s efforts to mine the undrafted rookie pool for unearthed gems. By guaranteeing University of Houston cornerback Art Green $180,000 of his first-year salary, the assumption is that the Broncos like his overall skill set.
Green need only look to his teammate and fellow cornerback Essang Bassey for the assurance that he could indeed crack the Broncos' 53-man roster out of training camp. Green showed some flashes during OTAs, and his confidence is growing as the Broncos' rookie class reports for training camp on July 25.
“I made some good plays and was doing my technique and doing my job,’’ Green said via The Denver Gazette's Chris Tomasson. “I didn’t feel like I did anything out of the ordinary. Once I do a one-handed, 360 (degree) catch, then I’ll probably have something amazing to tell you.’’
Green teased perhaps some bigger theatrics when camp and the preseason roll around.
“Hopefully, I do something out of the pocket in training camp and have an amazing catch or something,’’ Green said via Tomasson.
The rookie corner is optimistic about is prospects, it would seem. Green shared his outlook with Tomasson.
“I feel good,’’ Green said. “I’ve got to continue to give good effort and I’ll be where I want to be.’’
Under head coach Sean Payton, this year's training camp will be an especially hard test of the players’ mental and physical capabilities. For a rookie free agent like Green, the odds are substantially stacked against him, but the 23-year-old is willing to be coached up in order to fill whatever role is asked of him.
“It’s going to be a grind,’’ Green said via Tomasson. “You’re going to be getting some good work, going to be there all day. I’m basically getting ready for that. … I’ve got to keep learning from coaches and just be ready to get some work in and get my spot on the team wherever I fit.”
Green undoubtedly has the skills to make his coaches take notice, and he has youthful exuberance in his locker. Additionally, playing in front of an enthusiastic crowd of onlooking Broncos fans at training camp will also offer a motivating lift for the ambitious rookie.
“I’ve never had a practice except for a spring game where you had people at practice,’’ Green said. “That’s going to be kind of cool. It’s going to be fun kind of playing in front of people for a while.”
Irrespective of his free agent status, Green has got a golden opportunity to add vital depth to a cornerback unit that has the unenviable task of defending against AFC West quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert four times per season.
The added bonus for Green is that he's landed fortuitously with a head coach who is well-known for running a committed meritocracy, and that could make all the difference.
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