As the NFL season approaches and training camps are set to begin, various media outlets are diving deep into their Top 100 players lists that will generate buzz and speculation amongst 32 fanbases. One Denver Broncos player was selected to Pro Football Network’s Top 100 players of 2024.
Denver Broncos CB Patrick Surtain II selected to PFN’s Top 100 players of 2024
Patrick Surtain II is gearing up for the most important season of his NFL career, approaching a potential market-resetting contract at the cornerback position either during this season or next offseason. Since being drafted 9th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, Surtain has been one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks, standing out in key matchups against players like Tyreek Hill, Ja’Marr Chase, Stefon Diggs, Davante Adams, and others.
Earlier this offseason, the Broncos picked up his fifth-year option. He’s in their immediate and long-term plans.
Pro Football Network’s Dallas Robinson pieced together their Top 100 players for the 2024 NFL season, with Surtain coming in at 33rd. New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner was the only CB on the list that was ahead of him.
“Patrick Surtain II wasn’t quite as dominant in 2023 as he was in his 2022 All-Pro season, but that’s the life of an NFL cornerback — even an elite one,” Robinson says. “The Denver Broncos’ defense was a disaster early last year, and Surtain’s coverage numbers dipped during that stretch. Still, he’s typically as reliable as any corner in the league. While he was mentioned as a speculative trade candidate as the Broncos pursued a rookie QB, Surtain was too valuable for Sean Payton to give up. He should rebound in 2024 if the rest of Denver’s defense plays up to par. Surtain’s perfect technique lets him cover any receiver in the NFL.”
Much of Denver’s scheme last season kept Surtain on one side of the field against teams that used heavy motion to move their top threat inside the numbers. Often at times last year in passing situations, Denver’s scheme had Surtain playing more off-ball coverage than press, which Surtain excels in. Under new defensive backs coach Jim Leonhard, Surtain will likely be unleashed this upcoming season, following the opposing team’s receivers anywhere and everywhere, even at times playing in the slot if a team moves their best player into that position.
Surtain is the Denver Broncos biggest star player on the roster right now, and he’ll have a chance to have his best year yet.