The Denver Broncos lost the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, cornerback Pat Surtain II, to a pectoral injury, but the Broncos may have actually caught a break with this injury.
Surtain had a rough day against the Dallas Cowboys in Denver’s 44-22 win on Sunday. He left the game early due to an ankle issue, then returned, only to sustain a pectoral injury that knocked him out for good.
The injury is being called a strain, but it could have been far worse. A muscle tear in the shoulder and upper arm area or a separated shoulder would almost certainly have put Surtain out for a month or more, and right now the Broncos are approaching the injury on a weekly basis, according to a story written by Jeff Legwold of ESPN.
Surtain is expected to miss Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans, and it is believed he will miss multiple games. There’s a chance the Broncos may put the cornerback on injured reserve if his recovery goes slowly, in which case he would miss a minimum of four games. Denver’s subsequent roster adjustments could also be affected by the status of tight end Nate Adkins, who injured his knee in Sunday’s game.
Coach Sean Payton didn’t discuss the injury specifically, but he did mention the impact, both short- and long-term.
"That's a big deal, especially when a large part of your plan is dealing with rotation and matchups,'' Payton said. "Then all of a sudden that one element goes away, it can be a little bit disruptive.''
Payton definitely donned his rose-colored glasses in assessing the performance of the Broncos secondary sans Surtain. Cornerback Riley Moss turned into a penalty machine with Surtain out, getting flagged for mutliple holding and pass interference calls. Kris Abrams-Draine replaced Surtain in the secondary and had eight tackles, but the back end of the Broncos defense wasn’t the same without Surtain, who is also a two-time All-Pro selection.
"I think how we played was outstanding when [Surtain] wasn't in,'' Payton said yesterday. "I thought Kris did a great job -- the whole lot of them did when we went without Pat. We continued to play a handful of the coverages, and yet [defensive coordinator] Vance [Joseph] did a good job adjusting. So, that was very encouraging.''
Denver’s next game is on the road against the Houston Texans, and the secondary will definitely be tested. Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud has been up and down since his standout rookie year, but last week was one of his “up” weeks as he threw for 318 yards and two touchdowns.
Some roster maneuvering is also possible with the trade deadline just weeks away. There will be quality cornerbacks on the market, and the Broncos will definitely be on the lookout for a possible stopgap guy.