 Darby with theWashington Football Team in 2020 | |||||||||||||
| No. 28, 41, 21, 23, 25 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Cornerback | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | (1994-01-02)January 2, 1994 (age 32) Oxon Hill, Maryland, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 193 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Potomac(Oxon Hill) | ||||||||||||
| College | Florida State (2012–2014) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2015: 2nd round, 50th overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Ronald Darby (born January 2, 1994) is an American former professionalfootball player who was acornerback for 10 seasons in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theFlorida State Seminoles and was selected by theBuffalo Bills in the second round of the2015 NFL draft. He has played for thePhiladelphia Eagles,Washington Commanders,Denver Broncos,Baltimore Ravens, andJacksonville Jaguars. A world-classsprinter during his high school years, Darby won medals at the2011 World Youth Championships in Athletics.
Darby attendedPotomac High School inOxon Hill, Maryland, where he played as many as six different positions on offense, defense, andspecial teams. Excelling on defense, Darby was part of a Wolverines' secondary that also includedTavon Young, and which registered four shutouts and allowed just 82 points in 2011. Darby was aUSA Today andSports Illustrated High SchoolAll-American in 2011, and participated in the 2012Under Armour All-American Game. as a junior, rushed for 1,329 yards and 23touchdowns, while tallying threeinterceptions and eightpass breakups on defense.
Regarded as a four-star recruit byRivals.com, Darby, running a 4.37-second40-yard dash, was ranked as the No. 2cornerback prospect in his class, behind onlyTracy Howard.[1] He chose Florida State over Notre Dame, Maryland, Clemson and Auburn.
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men'sathletics | ||
Representingthe United States | ||
| World Youth Championships | ||
 | 2011 Lille | Medley relay |
 | 2011 Lille | 200 m |
Darby won a bronze medal in the200 m at the2011 World Youth Championships in Athletics.[2][3] He also finished fourth in the100 m.[4] Along withAldrich Bailey,Najee Glass, andArman Hall, he ran aWorld Youth Best in the meet'smedley relay.
His personal bests are 6.77 seconds in the60 meters, 10.41 seconds in the100 meters and 21.05 seconds in the200 meters.[5]
As atrue freshman at Florida State, Darby was part of a Florida State defense that led theAtlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in points allowed (15.1 per game) and yards allowed (253.8). They ranked seventh in theFBS. Although exclusively a back-up toXavier Rhodes andNick Waisome, Darby registered 18tackles and broke up seven passes in 2012, which earned himACC Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.[6] Darby was also named Freshman All-American by theFootball Writers Association of America.[7] In the2013 Orange Bowl vs.Northern Illinois, Darby registered four solo tackles and one defended pass.[8] As a sophomore, he played in 14 games with nine starts, including playing in, and winning the2013 BCS National Championship Game. For the season he had 14 tackles and two interceptions. As a junior in 2014, he started all 14 games and recorded 43 tackles. Additionally, Darby was a brother ofPi Kappa Alpha fraternity while attending Florida State University.[9]
After his junior season, Darby entered the2015 NFL draft.[10]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Ronald Darby's NFL Combine Workout | |
| Ronald Darby runs the 40-yard dash |
NFL draft analysts projected Darby to be selected in the second or third round.[11] He attended theNFL Combine and performed well in the40, 20, and 10-yard dash. He participated at Florida State'sPro Day, but only performed positional drills. He had pre-draft visits with theTampa Bay Buccaneers,Indianapolis Colts,Carolina Panthers,Tennessee Titans, andNew York Jets.[12] NFL analystLance Zierlein ranked him as the third-best cornerback in the draft.[13]Sports Illustrated ranked Darby as the sixth-best cornerback prospect in the draft.[14] NFLDraftScout.com had him ranked as the seventh best cornerback available in the draft.[15]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft10+5⁄8 in (1.79 m) | 193 lb (88 kg) | 31+3⁄8 in (0.80 m) | 8+5⁄8 in (0.22 m) | 4.38 s | 1.53 s | 2.56 s | 4.14 s | 6.94 s | 41.5 in (1.05 m) | 10 ft 9 in (3.28 m) | 15 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine/Pro Day[16][17] | ||||||||||||
TheBuffalo Bills selected Darby in the second round (50th overall) of the2015 NFL draft.[18] He was the seventh cornerback drafted and was the first of two cornerbacks selected from Florida State, along with third-round pick (78th overall)P. J. Williams.[19]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills select Ronald Darby No. 50 | |
| ESPN NFL Draft Profile: Ronald Darby |
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"He's physical, not only with the ball carriers, but as a press guy andRex is a big press guy. He has physical attributes, height weight, plays with speed. Not great production this year, but he also wasn't challenged much this year, and he can come in and learn behind some quality corners. We had some talks, got close, but nothing came to fruition. We were excited to move down, but we're more excited to have Darby. Three things: We said at the beginning of the draft we were going to take the best player; we can take a corner every year; and with the additions the other teams have made in this division, we have to keep up in the arms race."[20]
On May 19, 2015, the Buffalo Bills signed Darby to a four–year,US$4.56 millionrookiecontract that included $2.17 million guaranteed and asigning bonus of $1.58 million.[21]
Throughouttraining camp, he competed againstLeodis McKelvin,Corey Graham,Ross Cockrell,Nickell Robey, andRon Brooks to be a starting cornerback under defensive coordinatorDennis Thurman. Head coachRex Ryan named him the a starting cornerback to begin the season and paired him withStephon Gilmore.[22]
On September 13, 2015, Darby made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the Buffalo Bills' home-opener against theIndianapolis Colts and made six combined tackles (five solo), two pass deflections, and had his first career interception on a pass thrown byAndrew Luck to wide receiverT. Y. Hilton during a 27–14 victory.[23] In Week 3, he recorded five combined tackles (four solo), set a season-high with four pass deflections, and intercepted a pass byRyan Tannehill to tight endJordan Cameron during a 41–14 victory at theMiami Dolphins.[24] His performance earned him theAFC Defensive Rookie of the Month for September.[25] In Week 9, Darby collected a season-high ten solo tackles and made a pass deflection as the Bills defeated the Miami Dolphins 33–17. He was inactive for the Bills' 16–6 victory against theDallas Cowboys in Week 16 after suffering a groin injury.[26] He finished his rookie season with 68 combined tackles (61 solo), 21 pass deflections, and two interceptions in 15 games and 15 starts, while also being namedPro Football Focus' Defensive Rookie of the Year.[27] He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[28] He received an overall grade of 86.3 fromPro Football Focus, which is the fifth highest grade by a rookie cornerback since PFF began.[29]
He entered training camp slated as thede facto No. 2 starting cornerback. Head coach Rex Ryan retained Darby and Stephon Gilmore as the starting cornerbacks following their successful performance in 2015.[30]
On September 15, 2016, Darby made six combined tackles (five solo) and set a season-high with three pass deflections as the Bills were defeated 31–37 by theNew York Jets. He was inactive for the Bills' 33–18 victory against theArizona Cardinals in Week 3 due to a hamstring injury.[31] In Week 7, he collected a season-high eight solo tackles during a 28–25 loss at theMiami Dolphins. On November 27, 2016, Darby made four solo tackles before exiting in the first quarter of a 28–21 win against theJacksonville Jaguars after suffering aconcussion after running backChris Ivory accidentally delivered a knee into Darby's helmet while he was attempting a hurdle as Darby dove for a tackle. He remained in concussion protocol and was subsequently inactive for a 38–24 loss at theOakland Raiders the following week.[32] In Week 14, he collected a season-high ten combined tackles (seven solo) during a 27–20 loss to thePittsburgh Steelers. On December 27, 2016, the Bills announced their decision to fire head coach Rex Ryan after falling to a 7–8 record and appointed offensive coordinatorAnthony Lynn to interim head coach for the last game of the season. He finished the2016 NFL season with 69 combined tackles (60 solo) and 12 pass deflections in 14 games and 14 starts.[27] He received an overall grade of 70.6 from Pro Football Focus in 2016, which ranked 66th among all qualifying cornerbacks.[29]
On January 11, 2017, the Buffalo Bills hiredCarolina Panthers' defensive coordinatorSean McDermott as their new head coach.[33] He entered training camp slated as the No. 1 starting cornerback following the departure of Stephon Gilmore and was paired with rookie first round pickTre'Davious White under new defensive coordinatorLeslie Frazier.[34]
On August 11, 2017, the Bills traded Darby to thePhiladelphia Eagles for slot wide receiverJordan Matthews and a third round pick (96th overall) in the2018 NFL draft.[35] During training camp, he competed to be a starting cornerback againstPatrick Robinson,Rasul Douglas, andJalen Mills under defensive coordinatorJim Schwartz. Head coachDoug Pederson named him the No. 1 starting cornerback to begin the season and paired him with Jalen Mills.[36]
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On September 10, 2017, Darby made his debut with the Philadelphia Eagles in their season-opener at theWashington Redskins and made one solo tackle before being carted off the field in the second quarter of a 30–17 victory after injuring his ankle. The following day, it was reported that Darby was diagnosed with a dislocated ankle and was expected to be out for 4–6 weeks.[37] On November 19, 2017, Darby returned from injury after missing eight games (Weeks 2–9) and collected a season-high eight solo tackles, made two pass deflections, and had his first interception of the season on a pass thrown byDak Prescott to wide receiverDez Bryant as the Eagles won 37–9 at theDallas Cowboys. In Week 15, he made five solo tackles, set a season-high with three pass deflections, and intercepted a pass byEli Manning to wide receiverRoger Lewis during a 34–29 win at theNew York Giants. The following week, Darby made six combined tackles (three solo), a pass deflection, and secured the Eagles' 19-10 victory against theOakland Raiders after intercepting a pass byDerek Carr to wide receiverAmari Cooper with 57 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. He finished with 34 combined tackles (30 solo), a career-high three interceptions, and nine passes defended in eight games and seven starts. He earned an overall grade of 78.3 from Pro Football Focus in 2017.[38]
The Philadelphia Eagles finished the2017 NFL season first in theNFC East with a 13–3 record to clinch a first-round bye. On January 17, 2018, Darby started in his first career playoff appearance and made seven solo tackles and a pass deflection as the Eagles defeated theAtlanta Falcons 15–10 in the Divisional Round. The following week, he recorded seven combined tackles (five solo) and a team-high three pass deflections as the Eagles routed theMinnesota Vikings 38–7 in the NFC Championship Game to advance to theSuper Bowl. On February 4, 2018, Darby started inSuper Bowl LII and had four solo tackles and two pass deflections as the Eagles defeated theNew England Patriots 41–33.[39]
He returned as the Eagles' No. 1 starting cornerback in 2018 and was again paired with Jalen Mills.[40] In Week 2, Darby collected a season-high eight solo tackles, made a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass attempt byRyan Fitzpatrick to tight endO. J. Howard during a 21–27 loss at theTampa Bay Buccaneers. On October 11, 2018, Darby made two solo tackles and set a season-high with four pass deflections during a 31–13 victory at theNew York Giants. In Week 10, Darby had five combined tackles (three solo) before exiting in the third quarter of a 20–37 loss to theDallas Cowboys after suffering and injury while covering wide receiver Amari Cooper. On November 12, 2018, Eagles' head coach Doug Pederson announced that Darby had suffered a torn ACL and would miss the remainder of the2018 NFL season.[41] On November 17, 2018, the Eagles officially placed him on injured reserve and he remained inactive for the last seven games (Weeks 11–17) of the season.[42] He finished with 43 combined tackles (39 solo), 12 passes defended, and one interception in nine games and nine starts.[43] Pro Football Focus had Darby finish the 2018 NFL season with an overall grade of 67.5.[38]
On March 15, 2019, the Philadelphia Eagles signed Darby to a one–year, $6.50 million contract extension that included $4.50 million guaranteed upon signing and an initialsigning bonus of $3.50 million.[44][21]
He entered training camp on thePUP list, but was able to eventually return to practice and compete for a starting role againstSidney Jones,Jalen Mills,Avonte Maddox,Rasul Douglas, andCre'Von LeBlanc.[45] Head coach Doug Pederson named Darby and Avonte Maddox the starting cornerbacks to begin the regular season.[46]
On September 15, 2019, Darby made three combined tackles (two solo), set a season-high with three pass deflections, and intercepted a pass byMatt Ryan to wide receiverJulio Jones during a 24–20 loss at theAtlanta Falcons.[47] The following week, he collected a season-high six solo tackles before he exited during the third quarter of a 24–27 loss against theDetroit Lions after injuring his hamstring.[48] His hamstring injury subsequently sidelined him for the next four games (Weeks 4–7). In Week 13, Darby made three solo tackles, one pass deflection, and intercepted a pass by Ryan Fitzpatrick to wide receiverDeVante Parker on the first drive of a 37–31 loss against theMiami Dolphins.[49] On December 24, 2019, the Eagles officially placed Darby on injured reserve after he was injured with ahip flexor.[50] He was inactive for the Eagles' 34–17 win at theNew York Giants in Week 17. He finished the2019 NFL season with 37 combined tackles (34 solo), 11 pass breakups, and two interceptions in 11 games and 11 starts. He received an overall grade of 45.9 from Pro Football Focus, marking the lowest grade of his entire career.[38]
On March 29, 2020, theWashington Redskins signed Darby to a one–year, $3 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $1 million.[51] He entered training camp projected to be a starting cornerback following the departures ofJosh Norman andAaron Colvin. Head coachRon Rivera named Darby a starting cornerback to begin the season and paired him withKendall Fuller.
In Week 9, Darby collected a season-high seven combined tackles (six solo) during a 20–23 loss against theNew York Giants. On November 22, 2020, Darby recorded six combined tackles (five solo), set a season-high with four pass deflections, and had a fumble recovery during a 20–9 victory against theCincinnati Bengals. He started all 16 games during the2020 NFL season and finished with a total of 55 combined tackles (43 solo), 16 pass deflections, and one fumble recovery.[52] He received an overall grade of 69.8 from Pro Football Focus in 2020.
On March 15, 2021, theDenver Broncos signed Darby to a three–year, $30.00 million contract that includes $19.50 million guaranteed upon signing and a signing bonus of $9.00 million.[53] He entered training camp projected to be a starting cornerback under defensive coordinatorEd Donatell. Head coachVic Fangio named Darby a starting cornerback to begin the season and paired him withKyle Fuller, older brother of Kendall Fuller who he had started alongside in 2020.
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On September 12, 2021, Darby made his Denver Broncos debut in their season-opener at theNew York Giants and made six solo tackles and a pass deflection before suffering and injuring on the final drive of their 27–13 victory. On September 14, 2021, the Broncos officially placed him on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury.[54] On October 9, 2021, he was added back to the active roster after missing four games (Weeks 2–5).[55] On October 21, 2021, he collected a season-high eight combined tackles (six solo) as the Broncos lost 17–14 at theCleveland Browns. He was inactive for the final two games (Weeks 17–18) of the season due to a shoulder injury.[56] He finished the2021 NFL season with a total of 53 combined tackles (42 solo) and six pass deflections in 11 games and 11 starts.[57] He received an overall grade of 89.4 fromPro Football Focus, which ranked sixth amongst all qualifying cornerbacks in 2021.[58]
On January 27, 2022, the Denver Broncos hiredGreen Bay Packers' offensive coordinatorNathaniel Hackett as their new head coach after the team parted ways with former head coachVic Fangio following a 7–10 record in 2021.[59] Head coach Nathaniel Hackett named Darby a starting cornerback to begin the season and paired him withPatrick Surtain II.[60]
On September 12, 2022, he started in the Denver Broncos' season-opener at theSeattle Seahawks and collected a season-high six combined tackles (five solo) and broke up a pass as they lost 16–17. In Week 5, Darby had two solo tackles and a pass deflection before he suffered an injury and exited during the second quarter of a 9–12 overtime loss to theIndianapolis Colts. On October 10, 2022, the Broncos officially placed him on injured reserve after he suffered a tornACL and was inactive for the last 12 games (Weeks 6–18) of the season.[61] He finished the season with only 14 combined tackles (12 solo) and three pass deflections in five games and five starts. Pro Football Focus had him receive an overall grade of 71.1 in 2022.[62]
On March 14, 2023, the Denver Broncos officially released Darby.[63]
On August 17, 2023, theBaltimore Ravens signed Darby to a one–year, $1.70 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $500,000. He was signed after No. 1 starting cornerbackMarlon Humphrey suffered a foot injury that would require surgery.[64]
Upon his arrival at training camp, he competed for a role as the No. 1 starting cornerback againstRock Ya-Sin andBrandon Stephens under defensive coordinatorMike Macdonald. Head coachJohn Harbaugh named him a starting cornerback to begin the season, alongside Brandon Stephens.[65]
On September 10, 2023, Darby made his Ravens' debut in their home-opener against theHouston Texans and collected a season-high seven combined tackles (six solo) and made one pass deflection as they won 25–9. He started the first four games before being demoted to a backup cornerback upon Marlon Humphrey's return in Week 5. In Week 11, Darby set a season-high with three pass deflections during a 34–20 victory against theCincinnati Bengals. He was inactive during a 10–17 loss against thePittsburgh Steelers in Week 18 due to an illness. He finished the season with 28 combined tackles (24 solo) and seven pass deflections in 16 games and seven starts.[66] He received an overall grade of 81.0 from Pro Football Focus in 2023.[67]
On March 11, 2024, theJacksonville Jaguars signed Darby to a two–year, $8.50 million contract that includes $5.50 million guaranteed upon signing and an initialsigning bonus of $3.00 million.[68] He was reunited with former Philadelphia Eagles' head coachDoug Pederson. He entered training camp slated as a starting cornerback under defensive coordinatorRyan Nielsen. Head coach Doug Pederson named him a starting cornerback to begin the season and paired him withTyson Campbell.[69]
On October 13, 2024, Darby collected a season-high eight combined tackles (six solo) as the Jaguars lost 16–35 at theChicago Bears. On December 16, 2024, Jaguars' head coach Doug Pederson announced his decision to bench Darby in favor of replacing him withMontaric Brown. He finished the2024 NFL season with 46 combined tackles (36 solo) and nine pass deflections in 13 games and 12 starts. He received an overall grade of 60.3 fromPro Football Focus in 2024.[70]
On January 24, 2025, the Jacksonville Jaguars hiredTampa Bay Buccaneers' offensive coordinatorLiam Coen to be their new head coach after they fired Doug Pederson following a 4–13 record during the2024 NFL season.[71]On March 12, 2025, the Jacksonville Jaguars officially released Darby.[72]
On March 17, 2025, theHouston Texans signed Darby to a one-year, $2.50 million contract.[73]
On June 2, 2025, Darby announced his retirement from professional football.[74]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | FF | FR | Yds | TD | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 2015 | BUF | 15 | 15 | 68 | 61 | 7 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 2 | 48 | 24.0 | 27 | 0 |
| 2016 | BUF | 14 | 14 | 69 | 60 | 9 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | PHI | 8 | 7 | 34 | 30 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 42 | 14.0 | 37 | 0 |
| 2018 | PHI | 9 | 9 | 43 | 39 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 16 | 16.0 | 16 | 0 |
| 2019 | PHI | 11 | 11 | 37 | 34 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 29 | 14.5 | 16 | 0 |
| 2020 | WAS | 16 | 16 | 55 | 43 | 12 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | DEN | 11 | 11 | 53 | 42 | 11 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | DEN | 5 | 5 | 14 | 12 | 2 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | BAL | 16 | 7 | 28 | 24 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | JAX | 13 | 12 | 46 | 36 | 10 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 108 | 98 | 414 | 355 | 59 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 99 | 8 | 135 | 16.9 | 37 | 0 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | FF | FR | Yds | TD | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 2017 | PHI | 3 | 3 | 18 | 16 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | PHI | Did not play due to injury | |||||||||||||||
| 2019 | PHI | Did not play due to injury | |||||||||||||||
| 2020 | WAS | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | BAL | 2 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 6 | 6 | 30 | 24 | 6 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 28 | 0 | |
