Broncos Will Lean on a 2025 First-Round Pick With Their Top Two Cornerbacks Injured

Patrick Surtain II could miss up to a month and Riley Moss is hurt too, which hands a bigger job to the cornerback Denver drafted 20th overall last year.

by Bryce Lazenby

Oct 7, 2026

Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II (2)

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Jahdae Barron has spent most of his first two seasons with the Denver Broncos as a sub-package defender. That is about to change. The team is bracing for Patrick Surtain II to miss two to four weeks with the non-contact right ankle injury he suffered against the 49ers, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Wednesday, and Riley Moss could miss a game or two with injured ribs.

“With its top two corners out, Denver will rely heavily on 2025 first-rounder Jahdae Barron,” Fowler wrote in ESPN’s weekly league notebook. “He acquitted himself well in a larger role Sunday.”

What the Broncos have in Jahdae Barron

Oct 4, 2026; Santa Clara, California, USA; Denver Broncos cornerback Jahdae Barron (23) makes a tackle on San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk (44) during the fourth quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images

The 20th pick of last year’s draft played 40 defensive snaps against San Francisco, the most of any Denver cornerback. He had played 30 in the first three games combined. His early numbers are encouraging. Barron has a 67.1 overall grade and a 67.4 coverage grade from PFF, both the best among Broncos cornerbacks, and he has not missed a tackle. He has allowed five catches on six targets, according to PFF, and all of it comes on 70 snaps, so the sample is small.

Sean Payton liked what he saw from Barron and Kris Abrams-Draine, who played 34 snaps on the other side. “I thought they came in and did a real good job,” Payton said Monday. “It was good to see.” Defensive lineman Zach Allen agreed after the game, saying he thought Abrams-Draine and Barron “did a good job.”

A bigger job at a tough time

May 10, 2025; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos cornerback Jahdae Barron (12) during rookie minicamp at Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit.

Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Barron won the Jim Thorpe Award at Texas and had one interception and five passes defensed in 17 games as a rookie, mostly working behind Ja’Quan McMillian in the slot. Now he gets the outside job at a bad time for the defense. San Francisco was held to three points before halftime and scored 21 after Surtain and Moss were gone, and a pass rush that produced 68 sacks last season has eight through four games.

One source told Fowler the hope is that Surtain lands on the short end of that timeline and avoids injured reserve. Until then, Barron’s first extended audition starts Sunday against the 0-4 Los Angeles Chargers (4:05 p.m. ET, CBS).