It didn’t take long during the Broncos’ training camp in 2021 for Christian Parker to realize Pat Surtain II could be special.
A rookie at the time, Surtain had never played any reps at nickel because Parker, in his first year as a defensive backs coach in Denver, didn’t want to overwork him. But when former Broncos cornerback Bryce Callahan was forced to exit practice with an injury, Parker moved Surtain over to nickel.
One snap later, Surtain recorded an interception.
“I was like, ‘This guy is a natural,’” Parker told The Denver Post. “… You saw traces of it (on) film, but that was the moment when I knew he could do whatever he wanted on the field.