There’s a strange paradox surrounding the Denver Broncos defense. By almost every measure, this unit has been among the best in football during the last several seasons.
They have surrendered the fewest touchdowns in the NFL over a five-year stretch. They are anchored by elite talent at every level. And yet there is one category where the numbers don’t match the reputation. It’s the category that, more than any other, separates good defenses from historically great ones.
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The Broncos can’t force turnovers.
On a recent edition of “Dover and Cecil” on 104.3 The Fan, Cecil Lammey zeroed in on the statistic that has quietly become Denver’s most stubborn defensive weakness. The Broncos ranked 26th in the league last season with just 14 total takeaways. For a unit with this much talent, that number simply isn’t acceptable.
Lammey pointed to the player most capable of changing the equation.
“(Pat) Surtain needs to get his hands on the ball more,” he said.
Surtain is the best cornerback in football. There is no debate about that anymore. He was the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2024.
But for all of his ability to lock down receivers and erase entire halves of the field, his interception numbers don’t reflect the level he’s playing at. He recorded just one pick last season, a stat line that feels comically low for a player of his caliber.
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Lammey acknowledged the most common counterargument before anyone could raise it.
“‘They don’t throw at him.’ Yeah, I know. Yeah, that makes it even more difficult. But he needs to do that,” he said.
It’s the honest truth. Surtain’s reputation has reached the point where opposing quarterbacks actively avoid his side of the field, which limits his opportunities for takeaways by design. But that is the burden of being elite at the position, the standard rises with the recognition. Surtain has to find ways to bait quarterbacks, jump routes and create chances that the casual passing chart wouldn’t suggest are available.
Lammey then laid out the ripple effect that a more aggressive ball-hawking Surtain would have on the entire defense.
“If Surtain can get three or four (interceptions), I think that’s really good for the Denver Broncos. And then that kind of raises everybody else. Surtain out there doing it, guess what they’re not gonna continue to do? Throw much at Surtain,” he said.
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That is the strategic chess at play. Force a few timely interceptions and offenses will be even more reluctant to test him. Pushing throws toward the other side of the field, where Riley Moss and the rest of the secondary are waiting. Surtain’s takeaways don’t just count as one play. They reshape how entire offenses approach the Broncos defense.
The Broncos have proven they can win at the highest level without leading the league in turnovers. But the leap from very good to historically great runs directly through the takeaway column. And the player most capable of dragging this defense across that line is the one already wearing No. 2.
Pat Surtain has the talent. Now, Cecil Lammey wants to see the production catch up.