Pat Surtain II was inactive for the Broncos’ Week 7 game against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, a surprising turn after he had been listed as questionable and limited in all three practices leading up to the matchup. The Broncos, meanwhile, had Jonah Coleman active after bringing him back from injured reserve and had Jonathon Cooper available as well.
The inactive list landed just before Denver kicked off at 2:05 p.m. MT on CBS, and it changed the feel of a game that had already been framed by returns. Coleman had been designated for return on Wednesday, activated on Saturday, and was back in the mix after last playing in the Week 2 win over the Jaguars, when he posted 58 scrimmage yards and a touchdown.
Surtain’s status stood out because the cornerback had taken part in every practice this week, yet still did not dress after first suffering the injury in the Broncos’ Week 4 game against the San Francisco 49ers. That left Denver without one of its defensive starters in a matchup that carried real weight in the standings, with a chance to improve to 3-1 against the NFC West and to collect its 12th win over an NFC opponent in its last 13 tries.
The rest of the roster picture was mixed. Taylor Rapp and Sean Fresch Jr. were active after being elevated from the practice squad on Saturday, while Talanoa Hufanga was among the Broncos’ inactives after having already been ruled out. Sam Ehlinger was inactive as the emergency third quarterback, and Kage Casey, Dallen Bentley, Jordan Jackson and Tyler Onyedim were also unavailable.
For Denver, the key question now is not the inactive list itself, but the gap it leaves behind: the Broncos made it to Sunday without explaining the exact injury that kept Surtain out, and they will have to answer with play, not paper, against Arizona.
