Buffalo Bills

Bills CB Ronald Darby named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month

Published Oct. 1, 2015 10:15 a.m. ET

foxsports

The Buffalo Bills are off to a 2-1 start with much of the credit going to two first-year starters. Tyrod Taylor has played extremely well at quarterback in his first year as a starter, while rookie cornerback Ronald Darby has been equally great.

Darby, a second-round pick, leads the NFL in passes defensed with 10 and is tied for the league lead with two interceptions. To commemorate Darby's hot start, he was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month for September.

Ronald Darby is the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month! His September stats: http://t.co/wRQLF1II7r pic.twitter.com/o16QVzCwEb
— Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills) October 1, 2015

Darby was the Bills' first pick in the 2015 draft after being without a first-round selection due to the Sammy Watkins trade from a year ago. Entering training camp, he wasn't even expected to be a starter early in the year, but cornerback Leodis McKelvin went down with an ankle injury and has been sidelined for more than a month.

He's the second Bills cornerback to win the award, with the other being McKelvin in November of 2008. It also marks the third consecutive year a Bills player has been named the Defensive Player of the Month, following Sammy Watkins in 2014 and Kiko Alonso in 2013.

Needless to say, Darby has filled in admirably and has given the Bills a legitimate No. 2 cornerback next to Stephon Gilmore.