The Denver Broncos won’t have to be without their star cornerback, Patrick Surtain II, for too long, hopefully, and have decided not to place him on injured reserve.
After being diagnosed with a pectoral strain, the initial estimated timeline was 4-6 weeks, but the team itself was considering him week-to-week. Surtain is currently wearing a sling on his left side to provide stability as he goes about the treatment process, and the hope is that he’ll only miss three games.
That would be Sunday’s game vs. the Houston Texans, next week’s Thursday Night matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, and a matchup against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs before the Broncos head into their bye week.
The team’s hope is that he would be able to return in Week 13 on Sunday Night Football against the Washington Commanders and Jayden Daniels. That’s the safest estimate right now, and so much depends on how Surtain heals in the rehab process with Beau Lowery.
In Surtain’s upcoming absence, the Broncos are expected to rely on second-year cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine on the outside, but they have plenty of flexibility with Abrams-Draine, starting nickel Ja’Quan McMillian, and rookie Jahdae Barron.
McMillian played snaps at times on the outside during the preseason, as did Barron. There’s a chance either of those two gets some looks, but McMillian’s role inside the defense in the nickel is important, as is Barron’s inside of Denver’s dime looks.
We’ll have a chance to talk to Vance Joseph on Thursday when we meet with coordinators, but internally, Denver feels confident in their young guys stepping up in the secondary. You can’t replace a player like Surtain, but this is why the Broncos have invested in drafting and developing players.
With the NFL Trade Deadline looming, the Broncos are not expected to have any interest in the cornerback market, per source.
