The Denver Broncos have been waiting for Patrick Surtain II to return ever since the cornerback suffered a scary non-contact ankle injury in Week 4. The bad news is that Surtain II is not quite ready to face the Arizona Cardinals in Week 7. But the good news is that he is trending toward returning the following week, which will be against the Kansas City Chiefs.

“Broncos star CB Pat Surtain II, who has missed the last two games with an ankle injury, is unlikely to play today, source says. But there’s a good chance he’s back next week,” ESPN NFL insider Ian Rapoport posted on X, formerly Twitter, about Surtain II's status.

The Broncos have been able to successfully weather the All-Pro cornerback's absence as they've won both of the games he's missed. Granted, they were against the winless Los Angeles Chargers and the struggling Seattle Seahawks.

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Still, it's impressive how well the Denver defense has done without Surtain II. They limited the Chargers' Justin Herbert to just 121 passing yards with an interception. They also picked off the Seahawks' Sam Darnold twice. The pass rush has been instrumental in unsettling those quarterbacks. They've recorded five sacks in each of those two games.

The Broncos are once again unlikely to miss Surtain II against the Cardinals, who do not have that dangerous receiver who needs special attention. But they will need all the help they can get against the Chiefs, so his potential return in that game could be a big boost to the Broncos defense.