Either way, the Broncos are going to be without their star cornerback for at least this Sunday and potentially for the next month, per reports.
Surtain II suffered multiple injuries vs. the Cowboys on Sunday. First, he limped off with an ankle/foot injury and spent an extended period of time in the blue medical tent. However, he came out of the tent looking good and would re-enter the game to the delight of the home crowd. The second injury, the pectoral, came right before halftime and was something most onlookers were unaware of during the halftime break. News broke that he was questionable to return with a shoulder injury and was later ruled out, which is never good news. Now today, we learn that he’ll be out for an extended period of time.
As for how long, we’ll have to wait and see. If they place him on the IR, he’ll be out at least four weeks and could be back after the Broncos’ bye week. However, if they do not place him on the IR, they may believe he’ll be good to go before the four-week mark, which would be great news. Based on the reports, it seems like an IR/4+ week timeline is more likely, but the uncertainty gives me hope.
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With Surtain sidelined, it appears that second-year cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine will be the next man up at cornerback for the Broncos. He came in for Surtain on Sunday vs. the Cowboys, and despite coming off the bench and going up against Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and George Pickens, he held his own. Did he allow some catches? Sure, but it was a tough assignment off the bench for the second-year player.
Today, Head Coach Sean Payton was asked about Abrams-Draine, and he complimented the second-year player and said he did a great job.
“I think how we played was outstanding when he wasn’t in. That’s a big deal, especially when a large part of your plan is dealing with rotation and matchups and you’re dealing with George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb. Then all of a sudden that one element goes away, it can be a little bit disruptive. 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 Vance did a good job adjusting. So that was very encouraging.”
The Broncos are going to need a number of their young corners to step up now that Surtain II is down. Riley Moss is your CB1 while Ja’Quan McMillian, Kris Abrams-Draine, and rookie corner Jahdae Barron all get snaps. This is a deep unit and one that performed well in the second half while being down Surtain against an explosive Dallas Cowboys offense. So, hopefully, we see them continue to play well and hold their own until Surtain can return to the secondary.
At the end of the day, losing Surtain for any period of time is not great, but this had the potential to be a season-ending injury. If he is able to return after the bye week and only misses 3 games, that isn’t all that bad. Hopefully, the young corners can step up and the Broncos pass rush can make their life easier by getting after the quarterback at a high rate like they have all season.
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