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Can Jahdae Barron continue to draw attention for the right reasons after putting his stamp on the Broncos' exhibition slate-opening victory over the Atlanta Falcons with special plans involving the football he ran back for a pick-six to give to his little sister?
The Denver Broncos had a 27-7 win over the Falcons in the preseason opener. Barron made a big play when, with 1 minute 40 seconds left in the second quarter, he caught the football from Falcons quarterback Cooper Rush as it flew toward wide receiver Chris Blair. Linebacker Karene Reid tipped the ball with a Superman jump, sending it straight to Barron, who then ran at full speed for a 98-yard touchdown.
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) August 15, 2026When the cornerback reached the Broncos’ locker room, he had already savored the win and gave credit to the team while talking about his play.
"It felt good. It was a blessing. I was just happy for my teammate to make the right play for me and be in the right position,” Barron said. “Just trying to be in the right spot. Most definitely. That's what camp is, that's what fall camp is for."
Following the preseason football game, he will give the pick-six to his little sister as a gift, as Zac Stevens, Denver Broncos beat reporter, tweeted on X.
“Jahdae Barron will give the football he ran back for a pick-six to his little sister, he told @Scotty_G6 on @9NEWS,” Stevens wrote.
Barron's family is his life - on draft night, when he was picked in the first round, he thanked the entire Broncos team with his family over speakerphone.
The University of Texas product even bought a house for his mom, who always advised him to trust the process, and he achieved his reward in the form of an NFL jersey.
"My mother, the strongest woman in the world,” he said. “Even on Father's Day, I tell her, 'Happy Mother's Day,' again. She gets two. … She pushed me every single day, just what I was saying, just staying committed to the process. Whenever I got down, she made sure that she reminded me." - Jahdae Barron
On this pick-six return, Barron hit a speed of 21.5 MPH, which is mind-blowing for ball-carriers in the regular season.
The sophomore defender talks about brotherhood as a big thing in his group. The tightness comes from working hard and having fun together at camp.
"The camaraderie is big here,” Barron said. “Even during camp, even though we're competing, we're going against each other all day, and we've seen the same faces every day. It's just that brotherhood that we have. We even went to go watch Spider-Man together during camp. We're just keeping it tight."
MORE: Sean Payton Humiliates Falcons fans with savage halftime shot during 24-0 rout
During the preseason games, head coach Sean Payton told his staff how to use their personnel to focus on two things about Barron.
"I think there will be two things. 'A', he has position flex inside-out,” Payton said. “Then there will be packages I'm sure where in throwing situations, Vance [Joseph] and those guys will look at what we're wanting to do with our people, but he's out here competing and doing good."
One of the best life experiences of former Texas Longhorn was in Texas, where he worked from 2020-24 and left a message for his fans:
"I just want to say thank you for week in and week out just cheering for me,” Barron said [h/t Sports Illustrated]. “Being at Texas has been the best years of my life. I've dedicated so much to just wearing that burnt orange, growing up, being a child and going to the games when I was little."
Young CB thinks that Broncos have a hand in giving his mother a better life.
"They took the opportunity, and they changed my mother's life,” he said. “So, I just wanted to thank everybody that was a part of doing that because it was a collective group. I'm going to invest that, and I'm going to give her the world back so that she can just be a mother."
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