Now that they have Russell Wilson, the Denver Broncos roster is in pretty excellent shape, as they have the quarterback situation finally solved, talent all over the roster, and young players developing into superstars.
One example of this is Patrick Surtain II, who after a remarkable rookie season, has begun to emerge as one of the best players on the Broncos’ roster.
Pro Football Focus certainly views him that way, as in a recent article, they ranked him as one of the three best players on the roster.
“Surtain looked more like a veteran than a rookie last season in Denver,” PFF’s Ben Linsey wrote. “He rarely got beat downfield, allowing just one reception into his coverage on 14 targets 20-plus downfield. He and Simmons give Denver a nice duo to build around in the secondary.”
That’s a pretty impressive honor considering he’s listed alongside Russell Wilson (a surefire future Hall of Famer) and Justin Simmons (widely viewed as the best player in the sport at his position).
Also, shutting down the big play is a tremendously valuable trait to have in your cornerback, and Surtain is such a well-rounded talent, he’s able to excel in contested catch situations and in the quick game against shiftier pass-catchers.
Most of the attention PFF gave the Broncos’ top three players went to their newly acquired quarterback though.
“Wilson is the quarterback that the Broncos have been looking for since Peyton Manning, and they paid a hefty price to bring him in from Seattle,” Linsey wrote. “He’s coming off a down year, but a lot of that can be explained away by his midseason injury. Wilson earned a 90.3 PFF grade before going down with an injury in Week 5 (second highest at quarterback) compared to a 61.4 PFF grade (22nd) after returning in Week 10.”
If the Broncos get that pre-injury form of Wilson, they’ll be Super Bowl contenders this season.