As the Broncos lined up for their first defensive series of a key second half against the Cowboys, their best defensive player didn’t come out of the locker room.
Just a few seconds into the third quarter Sunday, the team announced star cornerback Pat Surtain II was questionable to return against the Cowboys with a shoulder injury — the second Surtain-related injury announcement of the day. He’d previously exited on a lower-leg scare in the first quarter, but only missed a couple plays in the red zone before returning on the next defensive drive; as the Cowboys drove down on a 13-play drive in the third quarter, though, Surtain still hadn’t emerged from the locker room.
Slightly over midway through the third quarter, the team officially announced Surtain would be out for the rest of the game.
His absence clearly discombobulated Denver’s defense after a tremendous first half, as second-year corner Kris Abrams-Draine filled in for Surtain but couldn’t prevent Dallas wideouts CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens from getting going on a lengthy scoring drive.
Surtain previously got banged up early in the first quarter on a second-and-1 from the Broncos’ 1-yard line, when he went up high to knock away a pass to Pickens. After hitting the turf, Surtain popped up just fine in celebration — but after a couple steps, fell back to the turf and began clutching at his lower right leg.
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Trainers came out to examine Surtain, who appeared in obvious pain on the turf at Empower Field. Eventually, two Broncos staffers helped Surtain limp gingerly off the field, the star cornerback seemingly unable to put much weight on his leg.
He went immediately to the Broncos' sideline medical tent, and exited after a few minutes, appearing to test out his leg with some dropback work on the sidelines. After missing just the final couple plays of Denver's first defensive drive, though, Surtain grabbed his helmet and walked back to the Broncos' sideline, appearing to grab at his right ankle in a small conversation with safety Talanoa Hufanga.
He returned on Denver's second defensive drive.
Surtain previously missed a chunk of the Broncos' Week 2 matchup with the Colts after suffering a left-ankle injury, a performance that ended up standing as one of the worst single games of his career. Since, he's authored a dominant follow-up to his 2024 Defensive Player of the Year campaign, holding a slew of star receivers -- from the Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase in Week 4 to the Jets' Garrett Wilson in Week 6 -- in check with each passing week.
**Krull undergoes surgery on foot:** Reserve tight end Lucas Krull, who suffered a Jones fracture in his foot and was placed on injured reserve in early October, appears set to miss more significant time. Krull is undergoing surgery to repair the fracture, a source confirmed to The Denver Post on Sunday. Krull has just two catches for 15 yards this season, but played a significant 30% of Denver's snaps through three games before going down.
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Originally Published: October 26, 2025 at 2:51 PM MDT