Suddenly, the Denver Broncos are on cornerback alert. Cornerback Pat Surtain II is out with a pectoral strain, and the Broncos have some work to do to figure out the recovery timeline for the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.
It won’t be easy, but the good news is that Denver didn’t place Surtain on IR. This matches up with what the Broncos did earlier this year with linebacker Dre Greenlaw, according to Nick Kosmider of The Athletic, as the team kept Greenlaw on the active roster as he recovered from his offseason quad injury.
To understand Surtain’s specific timeline, it’s necessary to take a quick medical dive into Shoulder Structure 101. According to Dr. Clint Soppe, an orthopedic surgeon for the LA Galaxy of the Major League Soccer (MLS), it’s all about being able to tackle for a guy like Surtain.
“(When) it’s a muscle strain, it depends on the amount of the muscle that has been damaged and the degree of injury, basically,” Soppe said. “The rehab will be, initially, rest and regaining his range of motion. Usually, with pec strains, people regain their shoulder motion very quickly because it’s not in the actual shoulder joint; it’s right outside of it.
“For Patrick, playing cornerback, it will be a little bit quicker recovery than, say, a linebacker or a lineman. It will mostly affect him when he has to make a tackle like he did with the injury. I do think three to six weeks sounds reasonable with an injury like this. … It usually heals well. It just takes time.”
That also means new game-plan strategies. The Broncos are targeting their upcoming game against the Washington Commanders on November 30 as the pivotal date for the IR decision with Surtain. The Broncos are used to their defensive game plan around Surtain taking out the other team’s top receivers, but Denver will probably have to show more zone looks. That goes against the grain for this year’s Broncos defense, which is an attacking, aggressive unit that relies on record-setting sack numbers to help the secondary take away key throws.
The new man on the spot will be cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine, who will have to hold up on high-leverage, one-on-one matchups, according to Kosmider. He’s a second-year player who was drafted out of Missouri in the fifth round, and Surtain spoke highly of Abrams-Draine’s development back in training camp.
“His technique is off the charts (and) his IQ is off the charts as well,” Surtain said of Abrams-Draine. “Him understanding the concepts, understanding plays before they happen, being in the right position at the right time, I think that’s what separates him quite so often. I think he’s a tremendous player.”
Abrams-Draine did manage an interception against quarterback Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers in a game Denver lost, 23-20, but that was with Surtain available. He’ll have the bullseye on his back against the Houston Texans on Sunday, as will the rest of his teammates in the Denver secondary.