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On Tuesday, the NFL announced the 2026 Pro Bowl rosters, and six Denver Broncos made the AFC squad. It's the most Broncos selected to the Pro Bowl since 2016.
The Broncos selected are defensive lineman Zach Allen, left tackle Garett Bolles, outside linebacker Nik Bonitto, right guard Quinn Meinerz, cornerback Patrick Surtain II, and wide receiver Courtland Sutton.
That represents great balance across both the offense and defense for Denver. Three and three.
It's the first Pro Bowl recognition of Allen, Bolles, and Meinerz's respective careers. All three have earned All-Pro honors, but none have made the Pro Bowl. Until now.
What a story Bolles has been. To go from being viewed as a holding penalty waiting to happen (remember Garett 'Holds?') to earning a second-team All-Pro nod in 2020 was impressive.
Now, Bolles gets the first Pro Bowl recognition of his career, and he's in the running for the NFL's first-ever Protector of the Year award. And for players like Bolles and Sutton, who weathered the long storm of losing in the post-Super Bowl era, the real triumph is being on a winning Broncos team in back-to-back years, and contributing mightily to these playoff berths.
It's really cool to see Bonitto earn the honor in back-to-back years, becoming the fifth Broncos rush linebacker to do so, joining legends like Tom Jackson, DeMarcus Ware, Von Miller, and Elvis Dumervil.
Surtain joins Champ Bailey and Aqib Talib as the only Broncos cornerbacks to make four straight Pro Bowls in team history. Surtain's 2025 campaign hasn't been as prolific as his Defensive Player of the Year body of work, and he has missed three games due to injury, but he's been just as lockdown when he's on the field.
I'm super happy for Sutton, who gets just the second Pro Bowl nod of his career and the first since 2019. Sutton joins legendary Broncos receivers like Rod Smith, Demaryius Thomas, Brandon Marshall, and Emmanuel Sanders as wide receivers to earn Pro Bowl honors multiple times.
Kudos to Paton & Paton
The Broncos tied the Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers, and Seattle Seahawks for the most Pro Bowl selections this year, with six. The job that GM George Paton and head coach Sean Payton have done to quickly rebuild this roster, all while being weighed down with Russell Wilson's albatross of a contract, is nothing short of spectacular.
The Broncos have rejoined the ranks of the NFL's elite. The team's six Pro Bowl selections this year are emblematic of that, but they don't suit up on Sundays for the individual accolades.
They're nice, when they come. And that recognition is always appreciated, but it's about the Super Bowl. This Broncos team illustrates how collective success (12-3) leads to individual accolades.
Congrats to the six Broncos who earned Pro Bowl honors this year. It'll be even more interesting to see the All-Pro selections.
Snubs
Conspicuously absent from the Pro Bowl roster is safety Talanoa Hufanga, although he's faded a bit down the stretch. It wouldn't surprise me to see Hufanga garner All-Pro honors, even if he was snubbed in the Pro Bowl, much like Bolles in 2020 and Meinerz and Allen in 2024.
Special teams ace Devon Key ranks second in the NFL in third-phase tackles. He finished as a first alternate in the Pro Bowl voting.
More must-reads:
- 2025 Pro Bowl biggest snubs: Why Cowboys running back, Jags kicker belong on NFC, AFC rosters
- NFL Draft intel: How CFP could impact Dante Moore's draft decision
- The 'NFL's active 300-yard passers' quiz
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