Patrick Surtain II: Practicing against Russell Wilson has made notable impact
The Denver Broncos made a big splash in the offseason, acquiring quarterback Russell Wilson in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks. That move has obviously impacted the Broncos offense, but young cornerback Patrick Surtain II has been positively impacted as well.
Wilson is a nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback and a one-time Super Bowl champion. He is a clear upgrade at the helm of the offense for the Broncos, and his experience will be valuable for the team in the coming seasons. Going up against such a talented quarterback in Wilson every day in practice will only help Surtain as he continues to develop, and he welcomes that daily challenge as he enters his second season in the NFL.
“It helps me a lot, going against premier talent like that with a great quarterback and great perimeter players,” Surtain said, via Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper. “That helps me as a player and build on my game. It’s always great going against them.”
The Broncos selected Surtain with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Alabama. He played in 16 games with 15 starts as a rookie, totaling 58 tackles with one tackle for loss, 14 passes defended, and four interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.
Surtain thinks the addition of Wilson will help others on the Broncos offense
In his ten-year NFL career, Wilson has thrown for 37,059 yards with 292 touchdowns and 87 interceptions. He has been a Pro Bowler in all but one of his years in the league, and has become one of the best quarterbacks of the last decade. Surtain knows that he’ll be able to gain valuable experience going up against that, but he also sees the value of adding Wilson for the playmakers on the Broncos offense.
One Broncos wide receiver that Surtain sees having a breakout season is Jerry Jeudy, who played alongside him at Alabama.
“Yeah man, Jeudy, I could tell you one thing,” Surtain said. “Once Jeudy gets going, I could see him as a top three receiver. Like, no doubt. I mean I just see it firsthand. The routes that he runs, how crispy he is in and out of his breaks, that’s something special. He’s going into his third year. So seeing someone like that, he’s so savvy in and out of his routes, he looked like a vet. Of course having Russ under center, this year I look forward to him having a dynamic year, a special year at that.”
The Broncos went 7-10 last season, finishing in last place in the AFC West. That division has gotten significantly stronger during this offseason, but the addition of Wilson has many believing that the Broncos could be a serious contender moving forward.