Riley Moss sparks a training camp roar as Broncos push for more takeaways

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — A year or two ago, the ball in all likelihood would have just been batted down to the grass. No big roar from the crowd. No rush of his Denver Broncos teammates whooping and hollering like they did Monday after Riley Moss intercepted Bo Nix's heave to Courtland Sutton.

Moss, who has made head-turning plays every day at training camp so far, has two big goals in mind in 2026: continue to shed his reputation for being too handsy and show off better hands when the ball's in the air as the Broncos aim to get way more than the 14 takeaways they had last year, which included one interception by Moss.

“It's fantastic to watch,” coach Sean Payton said of Moss's pick at training camp Monday. “... The ability to catch it as a defensive back, it's tough if you don't have decent enough hands because they'll just throw at you. So, it was a good play.”

Moss's big play led to a rare roar from the crowd that usually cheers for the offense. It left the defense "pretty hyped,” safety Talanoa Hufanga said. “Great play. It's 50-50, the ball goes up and when your guy comes down with it, you're always excited. We're going to win the fans over hopefully one day.”

Moss has started to do just that.

Playing opposite star cornerback Pat Surtain II, Moss gets targeted aplenty and last season, despite a rash of defensive pass interference flags, Moss tied for the league lead in pass breakups with 19, sharing the top spot with Carolina's Mike Jackson.

His aim in 2026 is to turn some of those breakups into interceptions — and get officials to keep their flags in their pockets.

Last year, he drew a dozen defensive pass interference calls, 10 of which were accepted. But he only had one infraction over the final six weeks of the regular season and two playoff games following Denver's bye week.

“Refs were very trigger happy when it comes to flags with him.... But he's probably actually one of the most athletic corners I've ever been around: quick twitch. And now it's really just what can we do to get his technique to where it needs to be?" Hufanga said. "Coaches have done a great job. He's done a great job. And hopefully he'll go out there and make more plays like he did today.”

Moss said he's not going to retreat any in his physical approach as he works to cut down on flags.

“As an athlete and what I want my brain to be is gritty,” he said. "I'm not going to back down, so it's playing smarter. ... I'm able to physically guard anybody in the league; it's that mental part, knowing where my help's at and not panicking at the top of the route. I think it's been good so far.”

There were times last season when the official closest to the play saw no infraction but Moss would turn around and see a yellow flag flying from 40 yards away.

“It's an emotional game and it's hard not to get emotional about those things,” Moss said. “But as the year went on and as those things were happening, it's next-play mentality. I can't let that affect me the rest of the game. (Defensive coordinator Vance) Joseph says great players will have bad plays but they won't have bad games. And that's kind of the mentality that I've tried to have is yes, this didn't go my way, we'll fix it after the game, but don't allow that to affect the rest of the game.”

Moss embraces knowing that quarterbacks will test him as they shy away from Surtain.

“That's part of the job and that's my favorite part of the job, knowing I'm going to get some action, and it keeps it exciting,” Moss said. “The biggest thing now is I had 19 pass breakups last year. Now, it's how do I turn those into interceptions? Because as a defense as a whole, we do need to do a better job of creating turnovers.”

Moss has two career interceptions in the NFL after collecting 11 over his four years at Iowa: “That's a big thing to me because that's part of my brand,” he said. “I need to do a better job of taking the ball away and finishing with the ball in my hands.”

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FILE - Denver Broncos cornerback Riley Moss (21) warms up during an NFL football practice June 17, 2026, at the team's headquarters in Centennial, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

HAVANA (AP) — Alexey Ríos García awoke not to his bed in Cuba 's capital on Monday, but to an ocean breeze and the concrete of Havana's famous seaside boulevard.

The 30-year-old construction worker ended up curling up with other Cubans on the city's sea wall, the Malecón, in a desperate attempt to escape the suffocating summer heat during yet another islandwide blackout.

Sunday night marked the sixth islandwide blackout since Trump administration effectively cut Cuba off from oil — its main energy source — in January. The move plunged the endemically crisis-stricken country into free-fall. While authorities on Monday said they were working to get the power back on, much of the island still had no electricity.

The energy grid collapses have left people like Ríos García with fewer options to get by as the U.S. maintains its pressure campaign against the communist-led government.

"Things are only getting worse. Tomorrow it’ll collapse again ... and we’ll be back to sleeping on the Malecón,” said Ríos García, who used a piece of yellow foam as a pillow to cushion his head from the tough concrete.

The recurring power outages combined with the stifling heat have created collective insomnia on the island as residents struggle to get through the night. While some like Ríos García have slept on the boulevard, others struggle to get some rest on balconies and front porches.

The day of the latest blackout on Sunday, the temperature hit 93 degrees Fahrenheit (34 Celsius), but ended up feeling like 106 F when combined with the Caribbean's 80% humidity levels.

It marks just one of a growing number of struggles on the Caribbean island where day-to-day life has grown increasingly difficult since the U.S. threatened to impose a tariff on any goods from countries that sell or provide it with oil. That was a debilitating blow after decades of U.S. economic sanctions, with the island's infrastructure crumbling and a surge in migration.

Sunday's latest total blackout confirmed by the state-run energy company came after sweeping outages across western Cuba, including the cities of Pinar del Río, Matanzas and Havana the day before.

Energy authorities reported two nationwide grid collapses in March and three in July, along with several partial outages.

Rolling blackouts now last more than 20 hours a day. Obtaining gas and basic goods have become daylong endeavors. Cubans worry about precious food like frozen chicken rotting in their fridges without power. The island’s once bustling tourism industry has bottomed out, leaving even fewer with a source of income allowing them to get by. With little fuel, public transportation in Havana has effectively collapsed. Hospitals have been left reeling and have sought to install solar panels to keep the lights on.

Cubans have long displayed a characteristic resilience to hardship, adapting to twists and turns and unexpected shortages after decades of living under a U.S. trade embargo. But in recent months and years, a sense of hopelessness has increasingly gripped those still remaining on the island.

Among them was 30-year-old physical education teacher Elaine Delis Ramos, who curled up next to loved ones on the boardwalk on top of a thick blanket in search of a breeze.

“Just when we start hoping (the energy grid) wouldn't collapse again, there it goes again," she said. “We don’t have any solution.”

A man sells fruit during a power outage in Havana, Cuba, Monday, Aug. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)