Broncos elect not to place Surtain, Adkins on injured reserve

HOUSTON — The Denver Broncos will play Sunday against the Houston Texans without cornerback Pat Surtain II and tight end Nate Adkins. But they don’t expect to be without them for long.

That was reflected by the fact that they chose not to place either of them on injured reserve. Had they done so, each player would have been guaranteed to miss a minimum of four games, which would have sidelined them for the entire month of November, a rigorous stretch that encompasses games against division rivals Las Vegas and Kansas City, last year’s AFC South champions (Houston) and a team that was one game from Super Bowl LIX (Washington).

Adkins suffered a non-contact knee injury in the fourth quarter of last Sunday’s win over the New York Giants. Surtain incurred a pectoral strain late in the second quarter.

“The boy gonna be back out there in no time,” Surtain said of himself on his podcast. “Better than ever.”

Surtain was seen on the side field rehabbing while his Broncos teammates practiced last week.

“I’m gonna attack rehab. Let it get better, let it get stronger,” Surtain said. “But in the meantime, I’ll be kicking it, you know? I mean, supporting my dogs, it’s gonna suck, though, because I love being out there with the guys competing, being out there on the field, being that leader, but mind the setback. I’m gonna get back right.”

Sunday’s game against Houston will be just the third missed by Surtain in his career. He was injured and sat out the Broncos’ regular-season finale in the 2021 campaign against Kansas City and a midseason game at New Orleans in 2024.

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