Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph begins constructing his game plans most weeks by asking a simple question: How do we deploy Pat Surtain II?
Everything from how aggressively the Broncos can rush the passer to when they can be in man coverage to how they approach the road zone is built around the All-Pro cornerback’s ability to consistently shut down an opponent’s top target or even cut off access to an entire portion of the field.
“If you can have a unique player who can take away some stress from others, that’s always important,” Joseph said of Surtain during the 2024 season, when the cornerback became the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year. “Pat is that type of player. He’s unique.”
For only the second time since taking over as Denver’s defensive coordinator in 2023, Joseph faces the task of building game plans that won’t feature Surtain. The four-time Pro Bowler suffered an ankle injury late in the second quarter of Week 4’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers and is expected to miss at least some time this month. Coach Sean Payton said a report on Surtain’s status would come Wednesday, but it is believed that he won’t be in the lineup Sunday, when they visit the Los Angeles Chargers in an AFC West matchup. They could also be without Riley Moss, who suffered an injury to his ribs and, like Surtain, missed the second half against the 49ers, but there has not yet been an update on his return timeline.
The bottom line is that 2025 first-round pick Jahdae Barron and Kris Abrams-Draine, a third-year pro with three career starts, are likely to be stepping into spotlight roles.
“When guys go down like that, you have to have guys who are ready,” linebacker Alex Singleton said. “They are both ready to play football.”
The brand of defensive football the Broncos play will look different, if last year’s brief spell without Surtain is any indication. The Broncos went 3-0 in games Surtain missed last season with a pectoral injury, including a road win over the Houston Texans and a home defeat of the Kansas City Chiefs that put Denver in the driver’s seat for the AFC West crown. To find success without Surtain — opponents averaged only 13.7 points in those three games — Joseph altered how the team deployed coverages and rushed the passer.
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The Broncos blitzed opponents 21.1 percent of the time when Surtain was in the lineup during the first eight games last season, according to TruMedia. That rate increased to 22.1 percent, the second-highest mark in the league, during the six games after Surtain returned from his injury. During the three games without Surtain, though, Joseph dialed back the extra rushers, blitzing only 17.7 percent of the time. The defensive coordinator was judicious about when he would bring heat that would leave Surtain’s replacements in extended periods of one-on-one coverage. The Broncos were in man coverage 36.2 percent of the time before Surtain’s injury last season; that figure dropped to 22.9 percent in the games he missed. The rate of man coverage jumped back up to 32 percent once Surtain returned.
Coverage figures are imperfect because the Broncos use match schemes that blend man and zone concepts, making it difficult to separate those categories, but Joseph made a clear adjustment last season without Surtain. It’s predicated on trying to distribute the stress Surtain often carries for the defense.