Vic Fangio Addresses Whether Broncos CB Ronald Darby will Return to Lineup for Week 6
One surprising omission from the list of active players in Week 5's loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers was Denver Broncos cornerback Ronald Darby. The Broncos activated the veteran off injured reserve over the weekend but did not suit him up.
Darby's absence only exacerbated the poor defensive showing of the Broncos' highly-paid secondary, and, most starkly, struggling starter Kyle Fuller. Meanwhile, rookie Patrick Surtain II got the start in Darby's stead, who was himself under some doubt to play due to an injury.
On Monday, head coach Vic Fangio filled in the blanks on why Darby was in street clothes instead of pads for the crucial matchup with the Steelers.
“The reason we activated him was because there was still some question about Pat with his injury,” Fangio said. “If Pat wasn’t able to go, we would have activated him. Pat was able to go, so we didn’t.”
Given the benefit of hindsight being 20/20, Fangio might have been more inclined to have pushed the envelope with Darby especially after reviewing the game tape. It wasn’t on account of Surtain because despite him whiffing on a few tackles, the impressive rookie largely held up in coverage. Most worryingly, it’s Fuller who is unravelling in pass coverage.
Until Fuller finds an answer to his issues, teams will continue to target him. It would surprise nobody if Darby's return to the lineup could result in Fuller heading to the sidelines for a spell to recalibrate his onboard computer.
Fangio explained that playing Darby would have been driven by the medical team signing off, as well as the player himself. Of course, that’s entirely understandable when you consider the extent of injuries the Broncos have suffered to key players on a weekly basis.
“In Darb’s case, he only had a little bit of practice because the medical people had him on a pitch count last week, which we adhered to,” Fangio detailed. “He didn’t quite feel he was ready and grooved in. We were hoping we didn’t have to play him, but knew we’d bring him up this week. We had the spot, so we did it for that reason.”
Roster gymnastics is an art in itself these days, and keeping on top of the injury list is proving to be a considerable task for even a veteran coach like Fangio. Considering the struggles of the unit, and Fuller in particular, it’s reassuring to hear Fangio is a bit more optimistic that Darby will be back for Sunday’s tilt vs. the reeling Las Vegas Raiders.
“Hopefully, yes.” Fangio articulated.
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