Mile High Report
Mathis needs a great preseason to keep his career going in Denver. Can he deliver?
A three year starter from Pittsburgh, Damarri Mathis was drafted in the 4th round by Denver of the 2022 draft. He was viewed as a speed demon with agility concerns but a smart player who might not be shifty enough for the pro-game. His first year was uneven. Denver’s decimated secondary forced him into early action and while he showed considerable promise at times, he also had big lapses. The worst of these was a game against the Los Angeles Chargers where he was flagged for pass interference four times for 87 yards. Nevertheless, there was optimism that he would progress in year two and he began 2023 as a starter.
His 2023 season saw horrible play followed by losing his starting job. As a reserve, Mathis played almost no defense but was a contributor on special teams. Through his first two seasons Mathis had two major problems – he plays cornerback in a grabby style that draws lots of flags, and he misses tackles. Lots and lots of tackles.
There are a lot of things that could be said about his 2024 season, and some of them are positive. He did not play at all in the first six games of the year due to starting the season injured, and then played some on both defense and special teams through most of the rest of the season. Vance Joseph was willing to use Mathis in select situations, especially against certain opponents (CAR, INDY, LAC). He amassed 80 defensive snaps on the year as a whole, was targeted 6 times with one completion and three tackles. Eighty snaps and only three tackles is pretty hard to have happen and speaks to both the coaches being uncomfortable with him in possible running situations, and him being the type of player who does not fly to the ball. So the best thing that can be said is he can do well if the defense hides his weaknesses. However, in the midst of Levi Wallace’s meltdown against the Browns where it was clear by halftime that Wallace did not have the physical speed to avoid embarrassment via Jerry Jeudy– Denver made the choice that Mathis was too big a liability to try having him replace the slower Wallace.
Mathis continued to play on some special teams, but not as a core player.
Damarri Mathis | Cornerback | #27
Age: 26 | Experience: 4th year | College: Pittsburgh
Height: 5-11 | Weight: 195 pounds
2024 stats: 6 targets 1 catch, 1 pass defensed, 3 tackles.
Denver played most of last year with five or six cornerbacks (excluding Tremon Smith who was listed at corner but was used and practiced as a special team ace). Levi Wallace has left, and Denver drafted Jahdae Barron in the first round of the draft. That puts Mathis currently behind...
