The Denver Broncos will decide on Sunday whether Pat Surtain II is ready to come back. Their top cornerback is questionable for the game at the Arizona Cardinals after three limited practices this week, while safety Talanoa Hufanga, running back Tyler Badie and outside linebacker Jonah Elliss have all been ruled out.
Surtain hurt his ankle in Week 4 against the San Francisco 49ers and has sat out the two games since, both of them wins, over the Los Angeles Chargers and the Seattle Seahawks. He returned to the practice field on Wednesday for the first time since the injury and stayed limited on Thursday and Friday. The questionable tag leaves the final call to game day, and for a defense that has given up 125 points in six games, getting him back for even part of the afternoon would matter.
Who practiced and who did not
- Did not practice all week, ruled out: S Talanoa Hufanga (ankle), OLB Jonah Elliss (ankle) and RB Tyler Badie, who has a thumb injury.
- Limited every day, questionable: CB Pat Surtain II (ankle).
- Full every day, questionable: RB Jonah Coleman (ankle).
- No game designation: WR Jaylen Waddle (chest), limited on Wednesday and Thursday and a full participant on Friday; CB Riley Moss (ribs), full all week; DL Zach Allen, who got a rest day early in the week and finished with full work.
Hufanga also missed the overtime win over Seattle on October 15, so Denver will again be without one of its starting safeties. The club elevated safety Taylor Rapp and defensive back Sean Fresch Jr. from the practice squad for the trip.
Coleman back, Badie and Elliss to injured reserve
Coleman’s questionable listing was about paperwork more than health. The rookie, whose ankle injury came after a 58-yard, one-touchdown afternoon against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2, had been on injured reserve; his 21-day window opened on Wednesday and he took every snap of practice he was offered. On Saturday the Broncos activated him, brought edge rusher Jonathon Cooper onto the 53-man roster from the commissioner’s exempt list, and moved Badie and Elliss to injured reserve.
We've made a series of roster moves.
📰 » https://t.co/MKQWD2BVSV pic.twitter.com/Nm6rvabWra
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) October 24, 2026
That gives Sean Payton a third option behind J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey, who have shared the backfield work, at a time when the run game has stalled: Denver gained 74 yards on 28 carries against Seattle. Badie and Elliss must miss at least four games, which makes Week 12 against the Pittsburgh Steelers the earliest either can return. Payton said this week that Elliss’ ankle injury is not expected to end his season. Cooper, who has had at least eight sacks in each of the last three seasons, helps cover Elliss’ snaps on the edge.
Arizona’s side of the report
The Cardinals are thinner. Rookie running back Jeremiyah Love (ankle) is out again, as are defensive tackle Walter Nolen III (ankle), safety Andrew Wingard (knee) and guard Jon Gaines II (knee, ankle). Quarterback Carson Beck (back), safety Budda Baker (groin, illness), cornerback Max Melton (knee) and defensive lineman Darius Robinson (back) are questionable. Beck and Melton did not practice on Thursday or Friday.
What comes next
The 4-2 Broncos play the 2-4 Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on Sunday, October 25, at 4:05 p.m. EDT (Game Center), chasing a third straight win. Inactive lists are due 90 minutes before kickoff. Denver then hosts the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, November 1, at 4:25 p.m. EST. Every club’s status for the week is on our NFL injury report.
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