Broncos CB Ja'Quan McMillian Not Backing Down in Battle with Jahdae Barron

One of the most contested roster battles at Denver Broncos training camp is at the cornerback position.

Jul 24, 2025; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos cornerback Ja'Quan McMillian (29) during Denver Broncos Training Camp. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

As Denver Broncos training camp has marched ahead, multiple position battles are taking shape across the roster. One of the most scrutinized is at cornerback, thanks to the arrival of a high-profile first-round draft pick.

Jahdae Barron was the No. 20 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, and he joins a stacked cornerback room that features the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Patrick Surtain II. However, Barron's arrival put everyone behind Surtain on the depth chart on notice.

The two most impacted out of the gates by Barron's arrival were Riley Moss and Ja'Quan McMillian. However, it seems the Broncos are very comfortable with the 6-foot-tall Moss remaining in the starting lineup as the boundary corner opposite Surtain, while McMillian is viewed as one of the NFL's better nickel players.

The Broncos believe that the 5-foot-11 Barron could play the boundary just fine, but if he's going to make a year-one impact, it's looking like the slot provides the quickest path to the field. There's just one problem with that: McMillian isn't exactly chopped liver.

Barron and McMillian are competing hard at Broncos camp, and the veteran recently took to the podium and shared some thoughts on how the competition with his new rookie teammate is shaking out.

“It’s going good. I think he [Barron] is doing a great job of coming in and learning the defense," McMillian said on Monday. "I feel like the whole room is doing a good job. We’re all competing, we have a lot of depth, we have a lot of good guys in the room, so I think that’s going good."

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A Stacked CB Room

Dec 2, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos cornerback Ja'Quan McMillian (29) runs for a touchdown on an interception in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Empower Field at Mile High. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

McMillian isn't wrong; Broncos have an embarrassment of riches at cornerback. Beyond the four mentioned above, there's also Kris Abrams-Draine — a 2024 fifth-round pick — as well as 2022 fourth-rounder Damarri Mathis.

Abrams-Draine acquitted himself well late last season when Moss went down with a knee injury. The Broncos used Abrams-Draine on the boundary in conjunction with Mathis, but by the time the team may have realized that it would have been best served rolling with the rookie solely, it was too late. Hindsight is always 20/20

Because of how much Mathis played as a rookie in 2022, it triggered escalators in his contract, making him very expensive for a No. 5 or No. 6 cornerback entering this season. Set to earn $3.4 million in base salary this year, he'll have to shine very bright in order to obfuscate the Broncos' incentive to cut him and save all every dime of that money on the salary cap.

That's not something McMillian can worry about. He's got to fend for himself in a situation where his starting job is under direct threat by the rookie first-rounder.

As a former undrafted free agent out of East Carolina, McMillian is no stranger to singing for his supper. He's lived and thrived on the razor's edge since battling his way into the NFL.

“I’m always competing. That’s every year with me," McMillian said. "‘J-Mac’ is going to be ‘J-Mac.' I’m the same guy I was back in 2022 when I first got here. I just come out here and compete each and every day and try to get better. We’re trying to do that as a group. Everybody’s getting better by it.”

Iron Sharpens Iron

McMillian was a nine-game starter last year for the Broncos, appearing in all 17 games. He wasn't as lockdown as he was in his breakout 2023 campaign, but he did make 81 tackles from the slot, intercepted two balls, one of which he returned to the house, forced a fumble, and broke up a career-high 10 passes.

That pick-six came in the fourth quarter of a tight shoot-out vs. the Cleveland Browns. Absolutely clutch.

McMillian was picked on and exploited at times last season because of how strong Surtain and Moss were on the boundary. However, McMillian still showed that physical, tough-nosed style of play inside, as well as his penchant for getting his hands on the ball. Over the past two seasons, his fingerprints have been on seven takeaways by the Broncos defense.

Time will tell whether Barron is able to unseat McMillian by the start of the season. But one thing is certain; if your fourth-best corner is either a first-round pick or a battle-tested guy like McMillian, you're operating from a position of strength.