While the Denver Broncos left much to be desired with their 5-12 finish, the same can’t be said for second-year cornerback Patrick Surtain II.
Surtain received consistent praise throughout the entire season for both his on and off-the-field behavior.
He was named a starter for the 2023 Pro Bowl on December 21st. Surtain was also awarded the Demaryius Thomas Team MVP Award on January 5th. On receiving the award, he said, “It’s an honor to get this recognition, to get these accolades at the end of the day. It’s a blessing.”
On Tuesday, Pro Football Focus gave Surtain the second-highest grade amongst all cornerbacks for the regular season.
Highest-graded CBs this season 🔒 pic.twitter.com/lpFcwWu0Xw
— PFF (@PFF) January 10, 2023
His 86.8 fell just slightly below rookie Sauce Gardner, who was given an 88.5. Surtain barely beat out Jalen Ramsey, who came in at No. 3 with an 86.4.
It was a vast improvement from the 66.1 grade he received from them in his rookie season.
As if that wasn’t impressive enough, PFF also named him to their 2022 All-Pro Team. He was selected alongside Gardner in the AFC division. Surtain was the only Denver Bronco chosen to the team.
“Surtain was one of the stars of an outstanding Broncos defense that deserved more help from the other side of the ball this season,” PFF.com stated.
Plus, he was named to the NFLPA All-Pro Team yesterday.
In 17 games this season, Surtain faced some of the league’s top receivers, including DK Metcalf, Deebo Samuel, Mike Williams, and Deandre Hopkins.
Against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 17, Patrick Mahomes didn’t throw in his direction once. In the season’s final two weeks, Surtain gave up a total of zero yards.
He only allowed four touchdowns, all of which came in just three games. On 70 targets thrown his way, he surrendered 41 receptions for an average of 10.2 yards per reception.
On top of those stats, he produced 60 total tackles, seven pass breakups, two interceptions, and one forced fumble.
Going into Year 2, Surtain manifested a big leap for himself.
“I just set my goals down before the season,” Surtain said. “I wrote down a few goals, individual goals I wanted to achieve, and obviously, it came into fruition. There’s still more to go, there’s still more to improve on, but at the end of the day, I’m [proud] of the player I’ve become. Compared to Year 1, Year 2 [is] a night and day difference.”
After the Broncos finished their disappointing season on a high note, there’s optimism for what 2023 can look be. There’s no reason to believe that Surtain can’t produce an even more impressive Year 3.
