ENGLEWOOD, Colo. –A knee injury in the third quarter of the Broncos' divisional round playoff win against the Chargers ended Chris Harris Jr.'s season.

Thursday he tweeted that he had been through a successful surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee.

In terms of defending the pass, Harris Jr. had his best season in 2013. The third year cornerback registered 13 passes defensed and three interceptions.

"Chris was a big part of this defense," linebacker Danny Trevathan said after the injury. "He was in on a lot of plays and he made a lot of plays. He was a big leader on this defense."

When Champ Bailey started making his way back into the lineup on the back end of the regular season, a lot of that time was spent in the slot – Harris Jr.'s normal position – and meant more time for Harris Jr. on the outside.

He took the switch in stride and did everything he could to make the transition smooth for Bailey as well.

"You know, it's funny because I find myself asking him little things about coverages, mostly," Bailey said of reaching out to Harris Jr. before the regular season finale.

"Just what he's looking at, this and that. He's had so much time in there and he's been so good at it, I'd be a fool not to look at him and ask him a few things."

Harris Jr.'s leadership efforts did not end when he was sidelined in the Broncos' first playoff game. During the AFC Championship game, he was doing everything he could to contribute.

"Give it up to Chris," fellow cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie said. "He was like a coach being out. He stayed on the sidelines, and he told us most of the time whether they were going to run or what they were going to be in."

With his surgery now behind him, Harris tweeted that he is "ready to start grinding for this season."

Successful Surgery thanks to Dr. Andrews . Ready to start grinding for this season . http://t.co/PU0XlwfySI — Chris Harris (@ChrisHarrisJr) February 6, 2014