Through 8 games of the 2025 season, the Denver Broncos are 6-2. The team started the year with 1 win and 2 losses and has now won 5 straight games. In Week 8, Denver defeated the Cowboys 44-24.
In the win over Dallas, Broncos All-Pro CB Patrick Surtain suffered a chest injury late in the second quarter. Surtain did not return for the remainder of the game. On Monday, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported that Patrick Surtain is expected to miss four weeks with an injury. The 25-year-old is a candidate to be placed on injured reserve.
When will Patrick Surtain return to the Denver Broncos?
BREAKING NEWS – Patrick Surtain II has suffered a chest injury and is expected to be out for 4-6 weeks. @Schultz_Report pic.twitter.com/6i39dRNGfo
— Sleeper NFL (@SleeperNFL) October 27, 2025
In the 2021 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos selected Patrick Surtain II from Alabama with the ninth overall pick. In the first four years of his professional career, Surtain only missed two games due to injury. He has been selected to the Pro Bowl in each of the past three seasons. In addition, Patrick Surtain was named first-team All-Pro in 2022 and 2024 and was named Defensive Player of the Year last year. This young cornerback is one of the top players at his position in the NFL.
In Week 8 against the Cowboys, Denver’s Patrick Surtain suffered a chest injury. His left arm and shoulder bent awkwardly as he tried to tackle WR George Pickens. Surtain left the game late in the second quarter and did not return. NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported that Patrick Surtain will miss four to six weeks with a chest injury.
Pat Surtain II and the Broncos are still evaluating the extent of his injury, and the schedule is up in the air as more information is gathered from speaking with sources.@Schultz_Report Surtain is reported to be out for 4-6 weeks, but would likely return after the Broncos’ Week 12 bye… pic.twitter.com/bScmgoT5Pf
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) October 27, 2025
This makes a lot of sense considering Denver has a bye in Week 12. If Patrick Surtain is not placed on IR, he will need four weeks of rest and recovery. He missed three consecutive games and will use the bye week as an extra week to prepare for his return. If he ends up on IR, Surtain’s earliest return would be Week 14 against the Raiders. Bye weeks do not count toward IR recovery time.
When Patrick Surtain went down, Chris Abrams-Drain replaced him and played the entire second half for Denver. He finished the game with eight tackles. He was a fifth-round pick by the Broncos out of Missouri State in the 2024 NFL Draft. Abrams-Drain played in five games as a rookie and started one. So far this season, he has played in 37% of the team’s defensive snaps. With Patrick Surtain likely to miss out on playing time, that number will likely increase further.
