A recent article written by ESPN’s Seth Walder ranked the top 100 most valuable players of the 2022 NFL season, and two Denver Broncos joined the list.
Unsurprisingly, both players were on the defensive side of the ball. Safety Justin Simmons and cornerback Patrick Surtain both made Walder’s list.
Surtain was ranked the 28th most valuable player, while Simmons came in at 64.
Surtain may not have had spectacular numbers, but that was for a good reason. “Measuring defensive backs partly requires evaluating the absence of action because deterring targets is a skill,” Walder said. “That’s exactly what Surtain did. With a 12.5% target rate that was a league-low among corners, no one forced opposing QB’s to look another direction more than Surtain.”
With that being said, Surtain has quickly become the player the Broncos hoped he would become when he was drafted with the ninth overall pick in 2021. Surtain is typically tapped to cover the opponent’s best receiver game in and game out.
Simmons also continued to be a mainstay in the Denver defense. Simmons led all Broncos with six interceptions and three forced fumbles. In 12 games, Simmons also totaled 69 tackles and broke up seven passes.
Denver’s secondary is in good hands.
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