Broncos S Caden Sterns 'Has a Road Ahead' in Return from PUP List

Sterns is "pushing hard in his recovery" from a knee injury.

Aug 11, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Denver Broncos safety Caden Sterns (30) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Denver Broncos safety Caden Sterns "has a road ahead of him" in his nearly year-long rehabilitation from a torn patella tendon, head coach Sean Payton told reporters Thursday.

Sterns is among three players who opened training camp on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list.

“He is pushing hard in his recovery. He’s getting closer," Payton added.

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Sterns suffered the knee injury in the first quarter of Denver's 2023 season-opening defeat to the Las Vegas Raiders. It marked another setback for the former fifth-round pick, who missed 12 games in 2022 with a nagging hip ailment.

A boon in pass coverage, Sterns flashed impressive traits as a rookie and figured to compete for the starting vacancy opposite S Brandon Jones. But an old cliche holds true here: "You can't make the club from the tub." Sterns is a nonfactor until or unless he's healthy — or crosses the proverbial road, as Payton put it.

His absence has allowed Broncos coaches to focus its evaluation on several other safeties — PJ Locke, JL Skinner, Devon Key, Keidron Smith, and Omar Brown — pushing for full-time snaps in the defensive back end.

"They’re playing right now, and I like the way they’re playing," Payton said Thursday.

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