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October 26, 2025: Denver Broncos offensive tackle Garett Bolles (72) looks to make a block in the second half of the football game between the Denver Broncos and Dallas Cowboys. Derek Regensburger / IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

10 Broncos in Contention for Accolades & Season Awards

Originally posted on Denver Broncos on SI
By Erick Trickel | Last updated Nov 22, 2025 10:00 AM ET

The Denver Broncos have exceeded expectations for many analysts and even fans this season, sitting at 9-2, atop the AFC, at the bye. With six games left, the Broncos need only one win to top ESPN's 9.5 over/under issued back in May and two more wins to beat most Vegas 10.5 over/unders from before the season.

To get to this point, the Broncos have gotten exceptional performances from multiple players and coaches. The Broncos I'm highlighting today deserve consideration for awards after the season, or even the Pro Bowl.

So, as the bye stretches on, let’s highlight 10 Broncos who should garner accolades and awards at season's end.

Garett Bolles | LT

First-Team All-Pro, Pro Bowl, Walter Payton Man of the Year, Protector of the Year

The left tackle has allowed 12 pressures and no sacks all season long, which is tied for the sixth-fewest in the NFL, while playing the second-most total snaps and most pass-blocking snaps, with 99 more than the first-ranked tackle, who has allowed fewer pressures than Bolles has by two.

Bolles has been a stalwart for the Broncos and doesn’t have a Pro Bowl to his name. He has been named to the second-team All-Pro, but never to the first team, and he deserves it after 11 games played.

As for the Walter Payton Man of the Year, Bolles has been a finalist and has always contributed a lot off the field, with his work only growing this season. And he's in the running for the first-ever Protector of the Year award.

Quinn Meinerz | RG

Second-Team All-Pro & Pro Bowl

The Broncos' mauling guard had a rough start to the season, but he has rebounded in a big way while dealing with an illness that has been difficult to diagnose. While he hasn’t been as good as Bolles has, he has been great in his own right.

Without a Pro Bowl to his name, Meinerz did make second-team All-Pro last season and should be in consideration again.

Talanoa Hufanga | S

First-Team All-Pro & Pro Bowl

If Hufanga didn’t drop so many interceptions, you could even link him to Defensive Player of the Year, but the lack of those takeaways keeps that out of reach. However, he has been the NFL's best non-quarterback free-agent signing and a difference-maker for the Broncos' defense.

Patrick Surtain II | CB

Second-Team All-Pro & Pro Bowl

The reigning Defensive Player of the Year hasn’t played at the level, but he's still been great when he's been on the field, given the matchups he's faced. There were some issues with Surtain's play earlier in the season, but he has bounced back.

How Denver has done without Surtain may sour some All-Pro voters, but he is still deserving.

Nik Bonitto | OLB

Second-Team All-Pro & Pro Bowl

Three or four weeks ago, Bonitto would also have been considered for Defensive Player of the Year, but while he has been disruptive, he doesn’t have the statistical production voters look for. If he can bounce back and play like he did through the first seven or eight games over the last six, it could definitely put it back on the table.

Zach Allen | DL

Second-Team All-Pro & Pro Bowl

Allen has been outstanding for the Broncos and does much of the dirty work that doesn’t consistently get recognized, which could hurt his chances in the eyes of voters. Much of the success of others on that defensive front stems from Allen's work and his ability to demand attention from multiple blockers, opening the door for others.

Jeremy Crawshaw | P

Pro Bowl

The rookie punter has had a great year, with the most punts on the season. There have been punters with better production who will likely get the nod over Crawshaw for the Pro Bowl, but that doesn’t change the fact that Crawshaw should be in the running.

Wil Lutz | K

Pro Bowl

Lutz is in the same spot as Crawshaw, where he has been good this season and deserves consideration, especially with some game-winners under his belt, but likely misses out due to other kickers doing better than he has. At least he received a three-year extension, which serves as a great consolation prize if he gets snubbed this year.

Lutz's 85% field goal percentage is tied for the 13th-highest in the NFL out of 31 kickers, and while he is 100% on extra points, so are six other kickers with a higher field goal percentage.

Vance Joseph | DC

Assistant Coach of the Year

The Broncos' defensive coordinator may be the frontrunner for this award, though there are multiple other assistant coaches in the running. What Joseph has done, especially with some of the injuries he has had to overcome has been exceptional.

Joseph will likely find himself a head coach next season.

Sean Payton | HC

Coach of the Year

Payton is in the running to win Coach of the Year, as Denver sits at 9-2. It will likely be held against him that his offense has been terrible for most of the season, while Joseph and the defense have gotten a lot of credit for the record.

That is also likely why the odds are currently lower for Payton's COTY prospects, well behind New England's Mike Vrabel, the other coach of a 9-2 team, who sits at the top. There is also the fact of where the teams were last year compared to this season: Denver made the playoffs, while the Patriots were one of the NFL's worst teams.

Looking Ahead

There are still six games left for the Broncos, so a lot could change. At this point in the season, this is how things are looking, but we'll take another look when the season is over and see what changes.