Since the 2024-2025 season, the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos have been at the center of a league-wide debate over who has the most dominant cornerback in the NFL.
In the Texans' corner, you have a fifth-year ballhawk in Derek Stingley Jr., who's accumulated two Pro Bowls and two First-Team All-Pro selections since 2024. In the Broncos' corner, sixth-year stalwart Patrick Surtain II has amassed a stellar resume of his own. Save for his rookie season in 2021, Surtain has been a perennial Pro Bowler (four times), has three All-Pro selections (two First-Team, one Second-Team) and an NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award win in 2024 (one of only seven cornerbacks to do it).
Over the last couple of years, Stingley and Surtain have exchanged the mantle of who's considered "the best" at the position in the league (rankings, television analysis, informal conversations, etc.). However, ESPN, by way of numerous executives, coaches and scouts, published it's stance on the matter. According to the aforementioned group of NFL experts, Surtain has been declared as the best cornerback in the sport (again), with one seasoned NFL coordinator boldly proclaiming that, "it's not close."
Was Stingley disrespected by the latest cornerback rankings?
Now, the ranking of Surtain over Stingley by itself is not the part that should raise eyebrows. The focus point for me is reading the words, "it's not close" in print, after Stingley just completed the most dominant multi-year stretch of defensive back play in the history of the Texans' franchise.
To preface, of course if we just consider the accolades argument for Surtain, then he clears Stingley undoubtedly. In that equation, Stingley has two fewer Pro Bowls, one fewer All Pro and obviously doesn't have the prestige of winning Defensive Player of the Year. However, the statistical perspective would say that the gap between the two is a lot smaller than it sounds depending on where you get your information.
Here's a comparison of Stingley and Surtain based on some of their combined stats from 2024-2025 (with consideration that Surtain missed three games in 2025):
Derek Stingley Jr.
- 90 total tackles (63 solo, 27 assist)
- 1 forced fumble
- 9 interceptions (incl. 1 pick-six)
- 33 passes defended
- 39.6 passer rating allowed in 2024 (lowest), 59.6-67.4 passer rating allowed in 2025 (according to varying metrics)
- 45.3% completion allowed (second-lowest) in 2024, 46.9% completion allowed in 2025
Patrick Surtain II
- 92 total tackles (71 solo, 21 assist)
- 1 forced fumble
- 5 interceptions (incl. 1 pick-six)
- 23 passes defended
- Roughly a 59.1 passer rating allowed in 2024, 66.5 passer rating allowed in 2025
- 54.1% completion allowed in 2024, 42.3% completion allowed in 2025
(Note: Statistics gathered from various metrics and sources)
Stingley and Surtain are the two best in the NFL at the moment
All things considered, Stingley an Surtain should not be looked at as having any kind of true "gulf" in between the two, as both have shown themselves to be the true definition of "shutdown" cornerbacks. To Surtain's credit, he's been given credit as being a better man-to-man defender than Stingley in coverage, but Stingley's ballhawking ability, range and elite anticipation makes up for any negligible differences in style of coverage played.
We are definitely looking at the top-two cornerbacks in the NFL, and their domination of opposing wide receivers should be lauded by those who value defense in 2026. This season should be very interesting, as Stingley has a chance to stake his claim as the undisputed "best in the game" by season's end with another strong campaign of aerial artistry.
Add us as a preferred source on Google