Mile High Report
According to NFL Network’s lead NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the Denver Broncos are NOT planning to place star cornerback and reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Pat Surtain II on the injured reserve. With their bye week coming up, the Broncos will keep him on their active roster with the hope that he can return after the bye and be ready for their game with the Commanders.
If they did place him on the IR, he would have to sit out four games, not four weeks, so that would have included the Commanders game. Silly rule, but that’s the NFL for ya.
The good news? No injured reserve for Surtain II, and he avoided a season-ending pec injury and just has a strain. The bad news? He is going to miss the Broncos’ pivotal home matchup vs. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. That is a bummer.
If Surtain II were to return after the Broncos’ bye week, he would miss this Sunday’s game vs. the Texans, Thursday night’s game vs. the Raiders, and the mentioned game vs. the Chiefs. It sucks, but it could have been much, much worse.
Next man up! With Surtain down, the Broncos will have to dip into their depth and call on the young guys to step up and play well over these next three games. Second-year corner Kris Abrams-Draine came in for Surtain during the Cowboys game and helped stifle their offense in the second half this past Sunday. We also saw tight end eraser Jahdae Barron get his first-career interception and help keep Jake Ferguson silenced throughout the game.
Riley Moss will step in as CB1 and will need to cut down on the DPI penalties (or the refs can stop calling bogus ones on him), and Ja’Quan McMillian, the veteran of the group now, will need to lock down the slot. The Texans game will be a test for them since it’ll be on the road and they’ll be going up against Nico Collins, but the Broncos’ pass rush could make life easier for them in that game. The Raiders game shouldn’t be an issue, and of course, the Chiefs game will be an absolute test on the entire secondary and defense.
Vance Joseph has been doing an excellent job the past few seasons, but now with Surtain II sidelined, he will be tested once again. I have confidence in the defense, and they did not miss a beat vs. the Cowboys without PS2 for most of the game, so I have belief in them moving forward.
