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Jeff Legwold, ESPN Senior Writer
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Of all of the things Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II does to show his teammates what a rare player he is, it’s the 23 candles on the birthday cake that might befuddle them the most.
“You talk to Pat and he has that way about him,” said Broncos safety Kareem Jackson, now in his 14th NFL season. “I do sometimes forget when I’m talking to him how young he is. Because he doesn’t sound that way, act that way. You talk to Pat, and he’s like a 10-, 12-year guy in that moment. It just shows you what he could be. Because physically there aren’t many guys I’ve ever seen who can do what he can do.”
Surtain is set to enter this third season, and as the Broncos wrapped up minicamp Thursday — their final workout of the offseason program — his growing status in the team’s big-picture plan is clear. And Surtain, in his own down-to-business way, has begun to embrace how important he will be in the seasons ahead.
Safety Justin Simmons has called it the process of “Pat finding his voice.”
In terms of talent, athleticism, work ethic and anything else folks want in an NFL cornerback, Surtain has it all, a “prototype,” as defensive coordinator Vance Joseph described him. But yet another coaching change — Sean Payton is the team’s fifth head coach since the start of the 2016 season — has created more roster churn, and a youthful Surtain suddenly finds himself a core player in another rebuild.
“It’s basically leading by example, but also coaching guys up, especially the young guys,” Surtain said. “ … That’s how I look at it. I thought about a lot of things, and you want to be a leader to help us. Help us win games, help us be better, at the end of the day that’s why I do it.”
“Pat is just doing a great job being himself, and he’ll do a great job in that aspect. You’re talking about one of the best corners in the league,” Simmons said. “Guys will just naturally follow you.”
Surtain was the Broncos’ first-round pick in the 2021 draft — ninth overall — and has been a starter since the moment he walked through the door of the team’s suburban Denver complex. He already has been a Pro Bowl selection and a first-team All-Pro, both last season when any good news was hard to find in the Broncos’ 5-12 finish.
Surtain was asked earlier this offseason about rankings at cornerback league-wide and where he thinks he might fit, and Simmons, who was standing nearby, simply shouted “No. 1.”
Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy said during minicamp that he agrees with Simmons’ assessment, and Jeudy sees it from the perspective of a player trying to get open against Surtain.
“Just how smart he is, just understanding route concepts and stuff like that, being in the right position all the time, his length, make-up speed, there’s no other guy like Pat,” Jeudy said. “ … You’re going against the best DB in the NFL. … Ain’t no DB that’s like Pat in my opinion.”
“I don’t try to get into all that,” Surtain said. “I focus on trying to perfect my craft, focus on what I need to do and just be able to work toward some success.”
In all of the roster turmoil after Payton’s arrival — there could be more than three dozen new faces when the roster is cut to 53 just before the regular season starts — the Broncos’ secondary will remain largely the most status-quo spots on the depth chart with starters Surtain, Simmons, Jackson and cornerback K’Waun Williams back from last season.
But even with that stability that includes Jackson’s experience as well as Simmons’ status as a former Pro Bowl selection who is now the longest-tenured Broncos player, Surtain will enter this season on a different leadership plane than he left the 2022 season.
“I’m biased, I’m with Pat every day, I see how he breaks down film, I see how he effortlessly matches certain concepts, and it’s a lot harder for others,” Simmons said. “ … It’s honestly just pure joy being able to work with him. It makes my job so much easier. He’s going to be doing that for years and years to come.”
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