Broncos CB Surtain appears to have avoided long-term injury: Report

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The sight of Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II on the Levi’s Stadium grass with a non-contact ankle injury — and then the slow, labored walk back to the locker room with his arms draped over team medical personnel — was one of the most dispiriting moments of the Broncos’ 24-14 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

But as first reported by Tom Pelissero of The Ringer, the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year may have dodged the worst-case scenario: a torn Achilles tendon.

Per that report, Surtain’s Achilles tendon was not torn. He will undergo further testing and evaluation to determine the extent of the ankle injury he incurred.

But given that a ruptured Achilles would have meant the end of Surtain’s 2026 campaign, the Broncos can breathe slightly easier as they return home following their second road defeat of the season — matching the total they had in all of the 2025 season.

Surtain’s injury was not the only one suffered by a Broncos starter, of course. Cornerback Riley Moss missed the entire second half due to a rib injury, while wide receiver Pat Bryant was carted off after a 30-yard catch-and-run late in the third quarter.

With Surtain and Moss both injured, reserve cornerbacks Kris Abrams-Draine and Jahdae Barron handled the work in the second half. Both made good acquittals of themselves in their most extensive work since last November, when Surtain missed three games after suffering an injury against the Dallas Cowboys.

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