Broncos fans remember Ike Taylor best for being on the opposite end of Demaryius Thomas’ stiff arm in the 2011 AFC Wild Card Round game, but the retired cornerback, now analyst, had some very positive things to say about the Denver secondary.

“The Denver Broncos have the best cornerbacks in the league,” Taylor wrote in his NFL column yesterday. “Period.”

The tandem of Chris Harris Jr. and Aqib Talib wreaked havoc on opposing quarterbacks last season as the Broncos defense held opponents to under 200 yards passing per game and carried a woeful offense to a Super Bowl championship. The Pro Bowl cornerbacks combined for seven turnovers and three defensive touchdowns themselves. However, even if Talib’s offseason issues keep him off the field for an extended amount of time, the Broncos will hardly miss a beat with Bradley Roby in his spot.

“Roby is more than capable of filling in,” says Taylor, “Honestly, Roby might just be the best all-around corner on this team. Last season, Roby allowed two passing touchdowns when targeted; quarterbacks had an average passer rating of 69.7 when throwing his way.”

If Talib does in fact miss time this season, the Broncos should feel confident that the athleticism and pure talent of Roby will cover the blemish of losing Talib’s strong veteran leadership.

Taylor ranks the combination of Harris and Talib/Roby as the best cornerback tandem in the NFL, slightly above Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu of the Arizona Cardinals. He lists Dre Kirkpatrick and Adam Jones of the Cincinnati Bengals as his third best, former Broncos cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Janoris Jenkins of the New York Giants in fourth, and Kyle Fuller and Tracy Porter of the Chicago Bears to round out his top five.

Not only do the Broncos have the best cornerback tandem in the league, but Taylor also says that they are the second hardest hitting secondary in the NFL. Let’s face it, Denver has an embarrassment of riches.