Englewood, Colo. – Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II, a two-time first-team All-Pro and Defensive Player of the Year, said Friday he feels a little “concerned” but is ready to return to the lineup for Sunday night’s game against the Washington Commanders.
Surtain had missed the last three games due to a partially torn pectoral muscle, saying that this stretch was the longest he had gone without playing in a season in any year he had played football.
“No doubt about it, so it was a little different for me,” Surtain said.
The addition of linebacker Alex Singleton’s return from cancer surgery on Nov. 7 — Singleton missed only one game after having a cancerous tumor removed from his testicles — means the Broncos (9-2) will be at full strength defensively to face the Commanders.
Denver leads the NFL in sacks (49) as well as lowest QBR to opposing quarterbacks (46.7) and is third in the league in scoring defense.
The team, with Chris Abrams-Drain and rookie Jahde Barron, splitting time in Surtain’s place depending on personnel groupings, went 3–0 in the games Surtain missed. The Broncos have an eight-game winning streak, their longest since an 11-game winning streak to end the 2012 regular season.
“Those guys, they showed a lot of confidence out there, they were out there playing under the lights, it made me a fan,” Surtain said. “…You could tell everyone was together, flying around, playing good ball.”
“We split the Pat role between those two young guys and it worked out for both guys,” Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said. “And it’s a huge thing for our team moving forward to have those guys play that many meaningful reps. Now to get Pat back, we have no concerns. To win championships you have to have depth, and now we have that (at cornerback).”
Surtain suffered the injury when he was tackled with 22 seconds remaining in the first half of the Broncos’ Week 8 win over the Dallas Cowboys. Surtain’s left arm and shoulder twisted awkwardly while trying to pull wide receiver George Pickens to the ground after the reception.
Denver did not place Surtain on injured reserve, and the team’s bye week last Sunday enabled him to return to practice this week after missing only three games.
“At first, I didn’t know the severity of it, obviously in the heat of the moment you don’t know if it’s a tear or a strain,” Surtain said. “That gave me the best news. …I attacked rehab the right way, and came back strong.”
Surtain has 21 tackles this season. Before this season, Surtain had missed only two games in his career, one as a rookie in 2021 and one last season.
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