By Susanna Weir – DenverBroncos.com
ATLANTA — Jahdae Barron seemed to hear the message loud and clear.
After an offseason in which Head Coach Sean Patyon and Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph spoke consistently about the need to generate more turnovers in 2026, the second-year cornerback wasted no time taking advantage of the opportunity to do so.
Late in the second quarter of the Broncos’ preseason opener against the Falcons, Barron tracked down a pass from Atlanta’s quarterback Cooper Rush that was tipped by inside linebacker Karene Reid. With open grass ahead and the ball in his hands, Barron raced 97 yards to the end zone for a touchdown.
“It felt good,” Barron said following the Broncos’ 27-7 win. “It was a blessing. Just happy for my teammate to make the right play for me and be in the right position.”
For Barron, the play was a representation of the attention to detail he has prioritized throughout the offseason and training camp. And as he continues to prepare for regular-season competition, it was a play that “most definitely” instilled new confidence in his play-making ability.
“That’s what camp is; that’s what fall camp is for — just to build that confidence and then to build that bond with your teammates,” Barron said. “And then just to be in the right spot, home in on the little things. That’s what I’ve been focusing on.”
That much has also been evident to Barron’s teammates, including defensive lineman Zach Allen, who described Friday’s play as “huge” for the second-year corner.
“You’re doing it against NFL players,” Allen said. “It’s terrific, and he’s been working hard at consistency, stuff like that. Making plays is huge. So yeah, it was great for him.”
While Barron’s interception arguably stole the show during the first half of Friday’s win, it was not Denver’s first takeaway of the night. Early in the second quarter, cornerback Riley Moss intercepted a pass that set up a score just five plays later. Quarterback Jarrett Stidham connected with running back Jaleel McLaughlin, who found the end zone to extend the Broncos’ first-half lead.
“It was fun,” Moss said. “Need more of those. It’s a good start, but that’s the goal for our room — is to come down with the ball a lot more this year. It’s a good start.”
Payton, too, indicated that while the takeaways were encouraging, there is more work to be done. Along with highlighting the two plays that were made, Payton acknowledged the missed opportunities on Friday, noting that “we had our hands on a couple [more].”
“Obviously, when you score on defense and you just look at those statistics, it’s a high win percentage,” Payton said. “We still had a chance for two or three more. … I think there’s some things we can be better at. … I like the energy we played with.”
As the Broncos aim to find ways to avoid the one-score games they often found themselves in last year, Barron believes taking advantage of every opportunity to gain possession will be an important piece of the puzzle.
“I think that’s something where we lacked … last year,” Barron said. “And that’s a big emphasis that we’re homing in on this year, just to attack and try to get the ball. Try to get punch outs, try to get picks and interceptions.”
The Broncos’ game against the Falcons seemed like a good start, as their two takeaways represented a total that Denver matched just five times in the 2025 regular season.
For Barron, who nearly came down with another interception later in the game, playing a role in those game-changing plays will be top of mind as Denver inches closer to the regular season.
“At the end of the day, it’s just something to build on,” Barron said. “Just try to continue and keep going during fall camp.”
