Broncos All-Pro Hypes CB Damarri Mathis' Year 2 Outlook
The Denver Broncos' cornerback room is quite impressive. With the likes of Patrick Surtain II and K'Waun Williams, the roster has enough talent to elevate this defense to the next level.
One name not receiving enough attention is Damarri Mathis — Denver's 2022 fourth-round pick out of the University of Pittsburgh. Mathis is a very physical corner, a strong tackler, and solid in coverage.
Heading into Year 2, he anticipates that the football will be thrown his way more often than it was as a rookie.
“That’s what’s going to happen,” Mathis said via Mike Klis of 9NEWS. “I know I’m going to get a lot of action. It comes with the territory, the position. Cornerback, you’ve got to have a lot of swag, a lot of confidence. I have that. I’m ready for whatever. I’m going to continue with the task at hand and do my job against whoever’s in front of me.”
Mathis knows that like water moving downhill, NFL quarterbacks will seek the path of least resistance, which means throwing away from Surtain. But Mathis experienced that NFL reality last year, especially in his early struggles.
Mathis received a whopping four pass-interference penalties in the Week 6 matchup vs. the Los Angeles Chargers. As a result of being penalized and costing his team, he studied film and improved upon ways to adjust his technique. Below are a few of the adjustments that he made:
- Instead of holding onto receivers, Mathis used his athleticism to make plays on the ball.
- He became much more instinctive at the line of scrimmage, especially in the running game, where he would slide inside to affect a rush and then slide out to complete the tackle.
These adjustments led to Mathis totaling 65 tackles (54 solo) and stopping seven passes. A nice body of work for a rookie who appeared in 16 games with 11 starts.
Moving forward, Mathis certainly has Surtain's support. The All-Pro cornerback spoke to Mathis' growth last season and how he's progressing in Broncos training camp:
“He played good ball for us last year, and he’s only going to get better," Surtain said via Klis. "Sky’s the limit for him. He’s shown improvement each and every day, each and every week. When you got a guy like that opposite of you, it brings out more confidence out of me, too. He’s making plays, and I can’t wait to see what he brings to the table this year.”
This defensive tandem could help make the Broncos relevant again in the NFL. It'll be exciting to watch, so get your popcorn ready, Broncos Country!
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