Denver Broncos safety Caden Sterns suffered what is believed to be a season-ending injury against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, according to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
On just his second snap of the game, Sterns tore a patellar tendon. He will now likely miss the remaining 16 games of the 2023 season after previously missing 12 games due to injury in 2022.
Buy Broncos TicketsSterns (6-1, 207 pounds) was picked by the Broncos in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL draft out of Texas. After spending his first two seasons as a rotational defensive back, Sterns was listed as a co-starter with Kareem Jackson on the team’s strong safety depth chart this summer.
Sterns and Jackson were both announced as starters before Sunday’s game, but Jackson was playing with the team’s base defense across from Justin Simmons. Jackson will continue starting and the team’s remaining backup safeties are now Delarrin Turner-Yell and rookie JL Skinner (P.J. Locke will be eligible to return from injured reserve after Week 4).
Sterns, 23, has totaled 49 tackles, nine pass breakups, four interceptions and two sacks through 21 games in the NFL. His rookie contract runs through the 2024 season.
