The Broncos will be without their star corner for one more week.
According to NFL Network’s lead league insider Ian Rapoport, Denver Broncos star cornerback Pat Surtain II is unlikely to play in today’s game vs. the Arizona Cardinals. He suffered an ankle injury vs. the 49ers a few weeks back and has missed the previous two games; however, Rapoport states there is a good chance PS2 will be back for next Sunday’s game vs. the Kansas City Chiefs.
Surtain II returned to practice this week, put in three limited practices, and was listed as questionable. Still, the team wanted to give their star corner one more week to get fully healthy and return in what is expected to be a big game next week vs. their divisional rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs.
The team elevated cornerback Sam Fresch Jr. from the practice squad yesterday, which was a sign that Surtain II would be out, and they will rely on their depth at the position for one more week. Riley Moss, who missed a game and returned on a very limited basis last week, appears to be healthy and likely a full go vs. the Cardinals today. I would also expect former first-round pick Jahdae Barron to get the start once again at corner in place of Surtain II. Barron played all 80+ snaps vs. the Seahawks on Thursday Night Football and played fairly well, and will have one more week to prove to all the doubters that he is not a “bust”.
The Broncos are a surprising 6-0 in games played without Surtain II and will look to improve to 7-0 in those games today vs. the Cardinals. They currently sit at 4-2, and a win over the Cardinals and a Chiefs loss to the Seahawks would give the Broncos a chance to move into first place in the AFC West.
