The Lead
Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown has already passed the 1,000-yard mark in 2023, and earlier this season he won matchups against a number of cornerbacks as he recorded six straight games with at least 125 receiving yards. But there's one cornerback the Pro Bowler won't have to face off against in the regular season this year: Denver's All-Pro Pat Surtain II.
Asked to name the best five cornerbacks in the NFL in a segment on the Fox Sports show "Speak for Yourself," Brown led off with Surtain as his clear number one.
"Right now, I think the best cornerback in the game is Pat Surtain," Brown said. "I like his game so much."
As for the rest of the list, Brown said he was unsure of who else would make his top five and kept Surtain as his top corner.
Surtain said Tuesday that Brown's praise meant a lot to him, but he also stressed that his focus is on continuing to improve.
"It means a lot coming from a player like him, a high-caliber player," Surtain said after practice on Tuesday. "I don't try to look too much into it because — I tell myself this every time — I still have got a lot to prove in my game. But when you get praise like that from players that play the game, it means a lot for sure."
In just his third season, Surtain has emerged a consensus top cornerback in the NFL. The ninth pick in the 2021 NFL Draft won first-team All-Pro honors last season and has followed it up with another dominant year in 2023.
In the first half of the season, Surtain shut down Raiders receiver Davante Adams and stole a pass away from the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year, Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson, for a crucial red-zone interception in the fourth quarter against New York. He'll have another opportunity to prove himself on "Monday Night Football" against Bills quarterback Josh Allen and one of the league's most dangerous passing attacks.
