Riley Moss, the Denver Broncos’ rookie cornerback, made history on October 1, 2023, by becoming the first white cornerback in 22 years to record an interception in an NFL game. His achievement, while a product of individual talent and circumstance, highlights a long-standing trend in the racial makeup of certain NFL positions and brings attention to the cultural and historical dynamics surrounding race in professional sports.
The Rarity of White Cornerbacks
The cornerback position is one of the most athletically demanding roles in football, requiring a unique combination of speed, agility, and instincts to match up against the league’s elite wide receivers. Over the past few decades, the position has become dominated by Black athletes, largely due to a variety of social, cultural, and structural factors. While the NFL has seen a diverse mix of players at most other positions, cornerback has been a notable outlier. The reasons for this are complex, but much of it stems from longstanding trends in how athletes are funneled into specific roles based on perceptions about athleticism and ability.
Historically, the cornerback position has been viewed as one that requires exceptional athleticism, specifically speed and agility—qualities that are often stereotypically associated with Black athletes. These stereotypes, though largely unspoken, can influence everything from high school and college recruiting to the way NFL teams draft players. As a result, the NFL has not seen many white athletes playing cornerback in recent decades. In fact, before Moss’s interception, the last white cornerback to start and record an interception in the NFL was Jason Sehorn, who played for the New York Giants from 1994 to 2003.
Sehorn’s career is often brought up in discussions about racial representation in the NFL, as he was one of the few white players to have success at the cornerback position during an era when the role was becoming increasingly dominated by Black players. After Sehorn’s retirement, the NFL went two decades without a single white starting cornerback, further solidifying the perception that it was a position largely reserved for Black athletes.
Riley Moss’s Journey
Riley Moss’s path to the NFL and his breakout moment with the Denver Broncos represents a significant deviation from this norm. Moss played his college football at the University of Iowa, where he became a standout player known for his ball-hawking skills and high football IQ. During his time at Iowa, Moss developed a reputation as one of the best defensive backs in the Big Ten, earning multiple accolades and becoming a fan favorite.
Despite his college success, Moss faced some of the same challenges that other white cornerbacks before him had encountered. NFL teams and scouts tend to view white defensive backs as better fits for safety or other less speed-dependent roles, positions where they’re thought to rely more on intelligence and tackling ability than raw athleticism. Cornerbacks, on the other hand, are expected to keep pace with the NFL’s fastest and most explosive receivers, a task that’s perceived as requiring elite speed and agility.
Moss, however, proved that he was more than capable of handling the rigors of the cornerback position. His performance at Iowa, combined with his athletic testing at the NFL Combine, helped dispel some of the lingering doubts about his ability to play cornerback at the next level. He was eventually selected by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, a testament to his skill and potential.
The Significance of Moss’s Interception
On October 1, 2023, Moss etched his name into the history books when he intercepted a pass against the Chicago Bears. While the interception itself was just one play in a single game, it carried deeper significance due to the historical context. In a league where Black athletes have dominated the cornerback position for more than two decades, Moss’s interception was a rare occurrence for a white player at that position. It was a reminder of how racial dynamics in sports can shape perceptions and expectations, and how individual players can sometimes break through those barriers.
The interception also reignited conversations about why there are so few white cornerbacks in the NFL. While no one doubts Moss’s individual talent, his presence at the cornerback position is an anomaly, and it prompts questions about how race influences the way athletes are perceived and utilized in the NFL. Moss’s success could potentially open doors for other white athletes who aspire to play cornerback, but who may have been steered toward other positions due to long-standing stereotypes.
Breaking Stereotypes in Sports
Riley Moss’s rise as a white cornerback shines a light on the intersection of race, athleticism, and positional norms in American football. His presence challenges the stereotypes that have shaped the perception of cornerbacks for decades. These stereotypes, while often subtle, are deeply ingrained in the sports world. Football, like many other sports, has a long history of racialized thinking, where athletes of different races are often seen as better suited to specific roles.
For white players, the cornerback position has been one of the most challenging to break into. This is partly due to the athletic demands of the position, but also because of the way athletes are categorized and evaluated at a young age. High school and college coaches may be less likely to view white players as suitable for cornerback roles, steering them toward safety, linebacker, or wide receiver positions instead. By the time players reach the NFL, the pool of white athletes who have been trained and developed as cornerbacks is much smaller than that of Black athletes.
Moss’s success in the NFL may help to shift these perceptions, showing that athleticism and skill at the cornerback position are not exclusive to any one race. However, it’s important to recognize that breaking stereotypes in sports often requires more than just individual success. Structural changes in how players are scouted, trained, and evaluated will likely be necessary to see a more diverse representation of athletes at all positions, including cornerback.
The Future for Riley Moss and White Cornerbacks
As Riley Moss continues his NFL career, he will undoubtedly face scrutiny as one of the few white players at a position long dominated by Black athletes. However, his performance on the field will ultimately determine his legacy, and his interception against the Bears is just the beginning. Moss’s presence in the league could help inspire a new generation of white defensive backs to pursue careers as cornerbacks, breaking down some of the racial barriers that have shaped the position for decades.
While it remains to be seen whether Moss’s success will lead to broader changes in how cornerbacks are evaluated and developed, his achievement is an important moment in NFL history. It highlights the complex ways in which race and sports intersect, and it serves as a reminder that talent and hard work can sometimes overcome even the most entrenched stereotypes.
