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Oct 26, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II (2) reacts in the first quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at Empower Field at Mile High. Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Insider Gives Hopeful Update on Pat Surtain II's Timetable to Return

Originally posted on Denver Broncos on SI
By Chad Jensen | Last updated Oct 29, 2025 7:49 PM ET

When the initial news of Patrick Surtain II's injury dropped on Monday night, there were reports that the Denver Broncos' top cornerback would miss 4-6 weeks. Fast forward to Wednesday, though, and the dust is settling a bit on the reigning Defensive Player of the Year's prognosis.

It sounds like Surtain won't be going on injured reserve, according to Ian Rapoport, which means the Broncos believe he'll be ready to return in time for the fourth game. Remember, a player put on short-term IR cannot be activated until he's missed at least four games, not weeks.

"The Broncos are not planning to place reigning DPOY Pat Surtain II on Injured Reserve, source said, and it’s possible that he only misses 3 games with his pec strain," Rapoport posted on X. "Denver plays the Texans, Raiders, Chiefs, then has a Week 12 bye. Surtain could return vs the Commanders."

Surtain Speaks

Meanwhile, on Surtain's podcast Closed On Sundays, the All-Pro cornerback shared his thoughts on how he can improve while he's sidelined, adding that he'll "be back out there in no time."

"I'm thinking, how can I get better from this? How can I learn from it? I'm going to attack rehab. Look to get better," Surtain said, via The Denver Post's Parker Gabriel. "It's going to suck, though, because I love being out there with the guys competing."

What's the Plan at CB?

If the Broncos believed that Surtain wouldn't be ready until after Week 13's matchup with the Washington Commanders, he'd be headed to IR. I doubt he'll be back by Week 10 or 11, but coming out of the Week 12 bye, it's safe to assume the Broncos expect to have him back.

How will the Broncos roll with the punches defensively while Surtain is out? We won't know for sure until we see the Broncos take the field against the Houston Texans on Sunday, but it looks like the plan is for Kris Abrams-Draine to play on the boundary.

Whether Riley Moss will be rotated to the left side of the defense as the No. 1 cornerback, or stay on the right side, time will tell. My guess is that Moss steps into Surtain's role, which is not an easy thing to do. Abrams-Draine then steps into Moss' role as the No. 2 corner on the boundary.

What about Jahdae Barron? The Broncos' rookie first-rounder has played well this season as a relief player inside and as a matchup weapon Vance Joseph has used to take away the opponent's tight end.

Because the Broncos trust Abrams-Draine to hold up on the boundary, they're free to continue using Barron this way while Surtain is healing up. Head coach Sean Payton wouldn't confirm the Broncos' cornerback usage plan at the podium on Wednesday because he doesn't want to give Houston a competitive advantage to game-plan around.

Payton is High on Abrams-Draine

However, Payton did compliment Abrams-Draine to the nines.

“Well I think two things that stand out—and I’m looking at him right now. He’s extremely intelligent and I would say he might have the best hands on this team," Payton said of Abrams-Draine. "He’s got elite ball skills. Now he’s quiet but really good football instincts and really good ball skills.”

I wouldn't worry so much about Abrams-Draine holding up. I'm a little more anxious to see how and whether teams attack Moss with their No. 1 wide receiver.

Moss has been arguably the NFL's best No. 2 cornerback this season, although he's been penalized an awful lot. Many of those penalties are of the reputation type, and have been highly questionable, but he's also deserved his fair share of them.

Moss will have to lead that room for the next few weeks while Surtain heals up. The Broncos have discussed placing Surtain on IR, but they haven't at this point, so fans can only hope that Rapoport is correct, and that they'll have their All-Pro corner back in time for Week 13's tilt vs. the Commanders.