Broncos Get Two Key Defensive Players Back For Arizona Game

The Denver Broncos defense has been a formidable unit, and they just got better. According to a report from Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk, cornerback Pat Surtain II was back at practice after sustaining an ankle injury, and linebacker Jonathon Cooper was also back after being taken off the Commisisoner Exempt list, which clears him to play on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. 

The Broncos had both starting cornerbacks out for their 17-14 overtime win against the Seattle Seahawks last Thursday night, so getting Surtain back will be a huge boost. He was the Defensive Player of the Year two years ago, but he injured his ankle back in Week 4 against the San Francisco 49ers. 

Per Alper, Surtain was a full participant in the portion of the practice that was open to the media, and he will be noted as a full participant in the Broncos report to the league. 

Cooper’s return is an entirely different matter. He was placed on the exempt list due to being arrested twice back in June after a domestic violence incident, and this will be his first game of the season. He missed the first six games of the season on what amounts to a paid suspension, and the Broncos have a roster exemption for him for this game. 

The linebacker is far from out of the woods legally, however. Cooper was originally supposed to have a November trial date in which he faces a felony assault charge, but his trial has now been moved to March to allow this move to happen. Not everyone is thrilled about this, but this is the NFL’s equivalent to the legal system related to these kinds of incidents. 

The Broncos don’t necessarily need Cooper as badly as they do Surtain, but he’s a high-level player whose presence will certainly help. Denver’s pass rush was vicious and effective against quarterback Sam Darnold of the Seahawks, as they sacked Darnold five times and registering 17 quarterback hits that eventually forced the quarterback into a pair of late interceptions that won the game for Denver. 

The Broncos need far more help on offense, and they’ll be getting an assist there as well. They’ve opened a window for the return of rookie running back Jonah Coleman, who missed four games due to an ankle injury. Coleman can now be activated any time in the next 21 days, and he’ll almost certainly play a role of some sort when the Broncos take the field against Arizona with a record of 4-2.