Broncos Make Attention-Grabbing Decision Amid Pat Surtain II Injury
The Denver Broncos made a flurry of roster transactions on Tuesday, but it was what they did not do with cornerback Pat Surtain II that has the most significant implications.
Surtain strained his pec against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8, and he will miss multiple games while he recovers. However, Surtain’s recovery could fall on the shorter end of what has already been projected for him.
The Broncos’ decision on Wednesday could be an indication that that is indeed the case.
Pat Surtain II Avoids Injured Reserve For Now
The Broncos cut quarterback Sam Ehlinger ahead of adding Dre Greenlaw back to their 53-man roster following the latter’s one-game suspension in Week 8. But Surtain avoided any action from the Broncos, which 9News’ Mike Klis noted on X was “encouraging.”
“The Broncos did NOT put Pat Surtain on IR today,” DNVR’s Zac Stevens posted on X on October 28. “Good sign.”
That was the prevailing sentiment around a situation with few details available.
Surtain has been durable for the Broncos, but this injury threatens to sideline him for up to six weeks. However, the Broncos are holding out hope that the All-Pro defender will be able to make it back sooner.
Placing Surtain on IR would mean he has to miss at least four games. His earliest return date would have been Week 14 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
As it stands, Surtain will certainly miss Week 9 against the Houston Texans.
However, Surtain could, in theory, miss “multiple weeks” and return as soon as Week 11, which is also against the Raiders. If there is one reason to temper optimism, it is that the Broncos also delayed placing Greenlaw on IR until Week 3 of the season.
That was despite his injury occurring in training camp. Greenlaw was forced to miss Weeks 4 through 7, only to receive a suspension in his return.
The Broncos went 5-2 in games Greenlaw missed.
Broncos Face Steep Challenge to Replace Pat Surtain II
They boast depth in their secondary, but replacing Surtain is a different challenge altogether for the Broncos to navigate.
Former NFL player Marcus Spears lamented the loss of Surtain for the Broncos, noting the onus will be on defensive coordinator Vance Joseph to scheme around his absence. Spears called the situation a “big deal” for the Broncos to overcome.
The three-time Pro Bowler allows Joseph plenty of flexibility.
“Think about how much availability Vance Joseph has to either bring pressure when he wants to, to feel confident about Patrick Surtain and the guy that he’s covering. Also, you think about how well this team pass rushes. At some point, some quarterbacks were gonna get greedy and think that they could go and attack Surtain during the season. Or they were going to try to see if they could make a play on their side, and it probably was gonna end up in a interception. I don’t think this dude’s absence can be minimized,” Spears said on “NFL Live” on October 28.
“This is a big deal. For them, I want to see how Vance Joseph adjusts to this up front. Because I think pressure or either leaning into a four-man rush is how you compensate, as opposed to thinking you’re gonna have somebody to replace.”
Marco Sturm finally had enough and sent a Bruins defenseman to the press box for a hard reset and some time to think about the mistakes he had made
The return of Hampus Lindholm from injury was going to be an interesting one when it happened for the Boston Bruins. Jordan Harris was playing well in his absence, and it was going to be hard for Marco Sturm to take the Massachusetts native out of the lineup when Lindholm did return. However, once Harris also suffered an injury, the easy move for head coach Marco Sturm was to swap Lindholm with Michael Callahan.
The Harris injury seemed like a blessing in disguise for Mason Lohrei. Last year's minus-leader was having another less-than-stellar defensive season, and fans were clamoring for him to spend a night in the press box. His place should've been secure, but Lohrei struggled so much in Monday night's loss to the Ottawa Senators that the Bruins called up Jonathan Aspirot from Providence to replace him.
There are no hidden meanings or ulterior motives for Lohrei spending Tuesday night's game against the New York Islanders in the press box. The young defenseman simply hasn't been good enough, and Sturm made that clear pre-game when he announced the move.
""We expect more from him, and sometimes we have to press that reset button. And it's not like we want to bury him, no, I want to help him, and that's part of the process. And again, you get some good things, but too many mistakes lately.""Marco Sturm
It's always interesting when a new coach comes into the fold and you start to see him find his own favorites and players who he doesn't see a fit in his system. With the hybrid defensive zone system Sturm is running, it isn't too surprising that Lohrei is struggling, and his comments seem like a coach who is sick of seeing his defenseman make the same mistakes.
Will Jonathan Aspirot stick around?
On the other hand, Aspirot is quickly emerging as a favorite for Sturm. He stuck around until the final days of training camp and is already getting his first NHL game, not even a month into the season. After coaching against Aspirot in the AHL's Pacific Division over the past few seasons, Sturm sees something he likes, and I think if he had it his way, Aspirot would be a full-time member of the lineup.
The reality is that it's simply not smart for the Bruins to keep sitting Lohrei and playing Aspirot. Lohrei needs the reps so that the front office can actually see if they have something, and there's no way he can learn Sturm's system without game action. In a season where the Bruins aren't likely to contend, Sturm has to just roll with the punches and keep Lohrei in the lineup. An occasional benching to reset isn't a bad move, it just can't become an every night occurence.
While this defense decision might be something that Sturm is going to dig his heels in on with the front office, it's likely that Don Sweeney and co. will get their own way with this one.
