Pat Surtain II and the Denver Broncos head into Thursday night’s matchup with Jaxon Smith-Njigba and the Seattle Seahawks with both teams at 3-2, and the health of Denver’s best cornerback is still in focus. The 2024 Defensive Player of the Year has made four straight Pro Bowls and been a first-team All-Pro twice.
Through four starts, the cornerback had allowed only nine catches for 93 yards on 18 targets with no touchdowns, according to Pro Football Reference, before leaving in the last minute of the first half of Denver’s 24-14 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 4.
Further testing calmed long-term concerns, yet per reports, he was week-to-week, which made a short-week return a long shot. The Broncos had to find answers right away, and last Sunday gave them a first look.
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The Broncos went on the road and beat the Los Angeles Chargers 23-17, with Kris Abrams-Draine stepping into Surtain’s spot and Jahdae Barron covering for the injured Riley Moss. Neither corner left the field on defense, so the real question became whether Surtain would be back for Seattle.
On Wednesday, the Broncos officially ruled the two-time first-team All-Pro out of the Thursday night contest, meaning his right ankle injury will keep him sidelined for a second straight week.
It happened without any contact, and two athletic trainers helped him back to the locker room, so Denver will now try to slow Smith-Njigba without its best defender. Abrams-Draine looks set to step into that role again, and if Moss, who carries a questionable tag because of his ribs, can’t play, Barron would remain in the lineup.
Depth is the larger concern, though, since safety Talanoa Hufanga is also sidelined by an ankle injury, which will give Devon Key more responsibility alongside Brandon Jones.
Kickoff between the Broncos and Seahawks is set for 8:15 p.m. ET on Thursday, Oct. 15, at Empower Field at Mile High.
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