Veteran CB Ronald Darby Sizes Up Broncos' First-Rounder Patrick Surtain II

Looking back on the Denver Broncos' offseason commitment to strengthen the cornerback room, Vic Fangio’s fingerprints were all over it. New GM George Paton was shrewd enough to listen to his head coach and has provided him with the ammunition to battle the likes of the Kansas City Chiefs' arsenal of receiving weapons, including the lightning-fast Tyreek Hill.

Veteran corner Ronald Darby arrived from Washington to kick-start Paton’s first foray into free agency. As a newcomer to the team, fans hadn't gotten much of a chance to hear from Darby since he signed but that changed on Thursday when he made himself available via Zoom post-practice to share his observations on the Fangio system he's assimilating.

“He’s got a really good defensive scheme,” Darby said of Fangio. “It’s corner-friendly. We run a lot of man [coverage] and we mix it with zone. We have a lot of calls that help us get out of situations. It’s a really detailed scheme, but once you figure everything out, it’ll help you 100 percent.”

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Darby is thrilled to start work alongside the likes of Broncos' safety tandem Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson, as well as the smorgasbord of cornerbacks this team currently has on paper.

“It's really good. We've got 'K-Jack' back there," Darby said. "Simmons—all of them know what they're doing, so they alert me on a lot of things. [They] line me up where I need to be, and they help me. Anything I need help with, they know it right away. And Coach 'CP' (DBs coach Christian Parker)—he's always in my ear, so I get a lot of help. That's why I'm able to pick up on it fast.”

Darby's impression of Denver's 2021 first-round pick? Let's just say, the 6-foot-2 Patrick Surtain II has been indelible thus far.

“Yeah, he's got great size," Darby said of the rookie. "He's about [6'2], long arms and he has good feet. He knows how to press and put his hands on people. He's really good out of his break and he has really good ball skills.”

Former Broncos' wideout Emmanuel Sanders was famously quoted as saying he was in "wide receiver heaven" when he joined the Peyton Manning aerial attack back in 2014, and the same could now be said of Fangio's new cornerbacks donning the Orange and Blue. There have been rumblings of the vaunted 'No-Fly Zone' secondary being resurrected but Darby stressed that mastering the art of communication is what will ultimately come to define what they can achieve as a unit.

“We can do great things. We just have to keep getting to know each other and going out there,” Darby declared. “Communication is key along with knowing our job and knowing where to line up and knowing each other’s tendencies. Once we get all that down, the sky is the limit for this group. We have a lot of vet players and a lot of young, talented players. We can all run and fly around.”

Fellow free-agent acquisition Kyle Fuller has been absent from OTAs thus far and only time will tell how much that could hold up the process of this new-look unit establishing its chemistry. Fangio was left scratching his head regarding Fuller’s no-show this week when he addressed the matter on Monday.

“He wasn’t out there today. I really don’t know why,” Fangio said. “It is voluntary, and he’s chosen not to attend at this point.”

It's far too early to press the panic button because there is still plenty of time left for Fuller to get with the program and cram but, let's not forget, Fangio's scheme is not new to the ex-Chicago Bears' All-Pro. Fuller thrived under Fangio in the Windy City, reaching his career-peak performance.

Don't worry too much about Fuller's decision to skip voluntary OTAs. Unless he opts to no-show for the mandatory mini-camp coming up.

Fuller will eventually show and step into his role as the penciled-in No. 1 corner. With Fuller set to join the likes of Darby, Bryce Callahan, and Surtain, expectations are still high regardless of this temporary absence.

Follow Keith on Twitter @KeithC_NFL.

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