Young Broncos CB Compared to the Founder of the 'No Fly Zone'

Ja'Quan McMillian's stellar performances this season have given rise to splashy comparisons between himself and former Denver Broncos Super Bowl 50 champion Chris Harris, Jr. Harris resides on the Mount Rushmore of cornerbacks to ever have donned the Orange and Blue.

Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph was effusive with his praise of McMillian on Thursday, but he was reluctant to draw parallels between his young nickel and Harris, whom he also coached from 2017-18.

"It's hard to say," Joseph said when asked about the similarities between McMillian and Harris.

Like McMillian, Harris went undrafted back in 2011, spending nine seasons in Denver. Over that span, Harris — who takes credit for coining the 'No Fly Zone' moniker for the vaunted Broncos' secondary of 2014-17 — contributed to five division crowns, earned three All-Pro nods, and four Pro Bowl selections. He's one of the most decorated defensive backs in Broncos history.

McMillian's importance to Joseph's attacking scheme is growing on a weekly basis as he looks to find new ways to create mayhem, but McMillian's impressive strip-sack of Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud last week might well have changed the game had Jonathon Cooper managed to fall on top of the football.

Some would argue that McMillian has already proved he can more than handle comparisons to Broncos all-timers like Harris, but Joseph is much more focused on the second-year pro making incremental improvements.

"Being a good nickel is a combination of being a good cover guy, a good tackler, and having good instincts," Joseph said of McMillian. "He has those things. He's a young player, and he's getting better every single day. He wants to be a great player, so it's easy to coach him."

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McMillian's expertise in the tackling department is massively helping Joseph to dream up some exotic blitz packages, but it requires players with a knack for timing their attacks. And it's always a blessing when a coach never has to repeat himself to a player.

"He’s one of those players where he’s a one-time guy," Joseph said of McMillian. "You fix him one time on something; it’s fixed from now until forever. That’s his best trait thus far as a young player. He’s not very big, but he can tackle, he gets the ball, and he can cover his guy. Those are good traits for a young player.”

McMillian is the very definition of a ball-hawk. He comes away with it in every which way. On the season, he has two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries — a big reason for Denver's wild and historic 15-takeaway romp over a four-game period in November.

In addition to McMillian, Joseph identified young safety P.J. Locke as a destructive tracer bullet with which to aim at opposing signal callers. Locke has totaled a pair of sacks and a forced fumble as a blitzer over the past two weeks in relief of the suspended Kareem Jackson.

"He's been an exceptional blitzer for us in the last couple of weeks," Joseph said of Locke. "You never know if guys are going to be good blitzers until they do it live. The grass here is kind of a controlled environment with cadences and those things. Some guys have a knack for gaining speed quickly and making left and right turns quickly. He has that knack."

Combined with McMillian's propensity for well-disguised blitzes off the edge, Locke's growing confidence and all-around ability as a safety have made a palpable impact on the Broncos' defense. Jackson has looked long in the tooth this year, outside of his helmet-leading hits, while Locke's twitchy athleticism and physicality have practically jumped off the screen for Broncos fans.

"Game plans change, but he’s been a good blitzer for us, and so is ‘J-Mac’ at nickel," Joseph said of Locke and McMillian. "To have two defensive backs who can blitz cleanly and finish on quarterbacks and on running backs has been good for our defense.”

These young DBs have been a huge bonus for Joseph, but it's important to keep in mind that McMillian is still in the process of learning on the job, as evidenced by how he got turned around by Texans wideout Nico Collins for a big touchdown in coverage last Sunday.

Such ups and downs very much simply come with the NFL territory for a young cornerback one year removed from not hearing his name called in the draft. Playing in the slot comes with formidable challenges when it comes to size and speed matchups.

What McMillian needs most is time and coaching to become the finished article at the nickel position. Comparisons are par for the course in sports, so it's understandable that Joseph is keen to protect his 23-year-old nickel at this critical juncture.

Perhaps it'd be wise to pump the brakes on comparing McMillian to venerated former All-Pros until he's got a full season under his belt.

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