ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The Denver Broncos got good news on injured rookie cornerback Patrick Surtain II on Monday when medical tests revealed a sprained knee but nothing that will sideline the team’s top draft pick for an extended time.
There’s even a chance he’ll play against Philadelphia this weekend, but if he’s held out this week, he’ll get the Week 11 bye to recover before the Broncos’ next game, on Nov. 28 against the Chargers.
Surtain got hurt in the second half of Denver’s 30-16 win over the Cowboys in Dallas on Sunday, although it’s unclear exactly when he sustained the knee injury.
He ran stride for stride with receiver Cedrick Wilson on a fourth-down incompletion by Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott. Surtain raised his arms in celebration of the Broncos’ fourth fourth-down stop of the game.
But he was replaced by veteran Kyle Fuller at left cornerback the next time Denver’s defense took the field.
Surtain had his eighth pass breakup, tied with veteran safety Justin Simmons for the team lead, in the game Sunday. The Broncos (5-4) entered as double-digit road underdogs, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, yet led 30-0 before Dallas scored in the final four minutes against a bevy of backups.
Surtain had an MRI on Monday and when coach Vic Fangio was asked if he feared the injury was a season-ender, he replied, “I don’t think that’s the case.”
Surtain has started eight games this season and had his first career interception in Week 2 at Jacksonville.
The Broncos already have four defensive starters on IR in outside linebacker Bradley Chubb (ankle) and inside linebackers Alexander Johnson and Josey Jewell, both done for the season with torn pectoral muscles. Also, outside linebacker Von Miller was traded to the Rams last week.
The Broncos lost right guard Graham Glasgow to a broken leg on the final play of the first half Sunday and by the game’s end, they were playing with four backup offensive linemen.
On Monday, the Broncos activated cornerback Duke Dawson Jr. from the physically unable to perform list and placed backup quarterback Drew Lock on the COVID-19 list.
Lock tested positive after traveling on the team flight to Dallas on Saturday. He learned while on board that someone close to him had the virus and he was isolated and tested when the team arrived.
Lock can return after two negative tests 24 hours apart because he’s vaccinated, unlike Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, who is out a minimum of 10 days after contracting the coronavirus. Rodgers missed Sunday night’s showdown against Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City.
Lock’s infection briefly put a scare into the Broncos when starter Teddy Bridgewater, deemed a close contact, had to test and didn’t get the green light until minutes before warmups began.
Fangio said he thought he might have another quarterback conundrum on his hands like last year when all of his QBs were ruled out against New Orleans because of COVID-19 and then-practice squad receiver Kendall Hinton had to serve as the team’s emergency quarterback.
