Broncos SB50 Hero Predicts Patrick Surtain II Will be 'Tested a Lot'

Former Denver Broncos safety T.J. Ward knows what it takes to play defense at the highest level. Ward was a member of the legendary 'No Fly Zone' defense that spearheaded Denver's Super Bowl 50 victory.

Ward had to live up to his high-profile and catchy nickname — 'Boss' Ward — so the two-time Pro Bowler is all too aware that Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II will have to deliver on some lofty expectations entering Year 3.

“I think who is going to get tested a lot this year will be Surtain,” Ward told USA Today. “They want to see is he really the truth? He’s been playing excellent so far. I think he’s probably going to be the most focused-on player, probably.”

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Ward was also blunt when it came to pointing out that the guys up front will have to get some heat on the quarterback to help Surtain flourish. In today's NFL, secondaries are given less time against receivers due to the proliferation of pass-happy rules, which makes pressure on the quarterback crucial.

“He’s nothing without a pass rusher. Not nothing, but if you get a pass rush, everyone looks a little bit better,” Ward said. “It helps if everybody else in the second there. Outside linebacker, everyone is equally as important. If you don’t do the job, then the job doesn’t get done. Of course, (safety Justin) Simmons, he’s back there. Like I said, it’s all important.”

When on the subject of playing fundamentally sound complementary football, Ward knows the Broncos' offense must also improve. Defenses can only carry teams for so long, but under the new Sean Payton regime, Ward is confident that change is coming.

“It should! It definitely should. That’s the intent. Coach Payton is a great coach, what he’s done in this league. The expectation is improvement, so I think we can ride out that expectation,” Ward said. “I think (quarterback) Russell (Wilson) should be a little bit better this year. I hope some of the spotlight will be off him compared to coming in last year, where he was looked at to save the franchise. That’s not his job. His job is to play quarterback.”

Ward was a Cleveland Browns second-round pick back in 2010. He joined the Broncos as a free agent in 2014, earning a Pro Bowl nod in Year 1, before serving as a leader and enforcer on the team's World Champion defense.

The Broncos released Ward on the doorstep of the 2017 season, and he would go on to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a short stint on the Arizona Cardinals practice squad before he announced his retirement in 2021.

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