Report: Broncos trade for cornerback Duke Dawson from the New England Patriots

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Denver Broncos have traded with the New England Patriots for former second round pick, cornerback Duke Dawson.

The two teams swapped 2020 late rounders to get this deal done. The Broncos sending a sixth-round to the Patriots, and the Patriots sending a seventh-rounder to the Broncos.

The New England Patriots spent a second-round selection, pick 56, on Dawson during the 2018 NFL Draft.

Dawson played four season of college ball at Florida and put up good numbers during his time there. During his four-year career, Dawson totaled 81 tackles, 6.5 for a loss, 6 interceptions, 3 defensive touchdowns, and 2 forced fumbles

However, his NFL career has been derailed some by injuries. He was placed on the injured reserve by the Patriots on September 6th, but with activated off that list on November 13th. Dawson was inactive for the rest of the year and Dawson didn’t play in a single game.

Here is a blurb about Dawson in his NFL.com Scouting Report done by Lance Zierlein.

Compact, strong slot corner who can beat up finesse receivers when he’s allowed to crowd and disrupt the route release. Dawson can match and blanket underneath, but hip tightness shows up when he’s forced to turn and run from a backpedal. Dawson can handle himself in man or zone coverage and is ready to work when run support calls. He has some length and speed limitations, but he has the instincts and cover talent to become a starting nickel cornerback.

Just going off this, it sounds like a cornerback that Vic Fangio would like. A strong and physical corner who has no issues getting his nose dirty in the run game. Also, his ability to play zone also is a plus as well.

I am not sure the exact role Dawson will play with the Broncos, but he does give them some depth at slot corner. Chris Harris Jr. and Bryce Callahan can both play slot, and do it very well, but both are expected to be your outside corners as well. This move bolsters the unit and also adds another layer of depth to it as well.

I like this move. Dawson was a second-round pick for a reason and Fangio and his defensive staff clearly has an eye for talent. I hope they can develop Dawson and help him reach the potential that made him a second-round pick just one year ago.