3 Broncos Selected to the 2024 Pro Bowl
The 2023 season may not have shaken out the way the Denver Broncos had hoped, but if the Pro Bowl selections are any indication, head coach Sean Payton has moved the needle for the organization. After only one Bronco was selected to the Pro Bowl last year, three players were tapped for the NFL's 2024 All-Star game.
The Broncos announced that cornerback Patrick Surtain II, safety Justin Simmons, and rookie kick/punt returner Marvin Mims Jr. have been selected to the Pro Bowl. Right guard Quinn Meinerz and fullback Michael Burton were selected as third alternates.
This marks Surtain's second consecutive Pro Bowl nod, making him just the second cornerback in Broncos history to earn the accolade in two of his first three seasons, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer Willie Brown (1964-65). Along with Brown, Hall-of-Famer Champ Bailey, Ring-of-Famer Louis Wright, Chris Harris, Jr., and Aqib Talib, Surtain is now part of an elite fraternity of Broncos cornerbacks to garner Pro Bowl accolades in consecutive years.
The former Alabama star has been reliable this year, starting all 16 games. Surtain boasts a team-high 11 pass break-ups, plus 63 tackles (54 solo) and an interception this season. He's now the only Bronco to ever total double-digit pass break-ups in each of his first three years with the team.
For Simmons, this is the second Pro Bowl nod of his career. It puts Simmons in the company of Hall-of-Famer Steve Atwater and Ring-of-Famer Goose Gonsoulin as the only Broncos safeties to net multiple Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors with the club.
Simmons also joins Hall-of-Famers Brian Dawkins, John Lynch, and Atwater, along with Ring-of-Famers Dennis Smith, Billy Thompson, and Gounsolin, as the only Broncos safeties to earn multiple Pro Bowl nods in the Orange and Blue.
Although Simmons' 2023 campaign started off slowly, much like the Broncos' defense, due to an injury, he quickly bounced back. Simmons leads the Broncos with three interceptions to go along with 67 tackles (50 solo), one sack, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. Only one NFL player has recorded at least three picks in each of the last six seasons, and that's Simmons.
Mims becomes the first Bronco since running back Phillip Lindsay to earn a Pro Bowl nod as a rookie. Selected as a returner, Mims is only the fifth Broncos rookie to earn Pro Bowl honors, joining the ranks of the aforementioned Lindsay, linebackers Von Miller and Jim Fraser, and fullback Donnie Stone.
Mims is also just the third Broncos to earn Pro Bowl accolades as a kicker returner, joining Glyn Milburn and Ring-of-Famer Rick Upchurch. Mims has been a dynamo as a returner for the Broncos.
As a rookie, Mims has appeared in 15 games with six starts. He's returned 16 punts for 279 yards, boasting a 17.4 yards-per-return average. As a kick returner, he's taken 13 attempts for 342 yards for an insane 26.3 average, with one touchdown.
Mims has 621 combined return yards, which is the most by a Broncos rookie since Eddie Royal totaled 740 yards back in 2008. The Broncos have paced the NFL for most of the season in return efficiency, thanks to the rookie.
It's disappointing that Meinerz was snubbed by the Pro Bowl. He's played at an All-Pro level, but with the Pro Bowl allowing 1/3 of the vote to come from fans, it becomes a popularity contest
A Broncos team that started 1-5 quickly lost the scrutiny of the national NFL audience, and that five-game winning streak wasn't enough to earn it back.
Don't be shocked if Meinerz earns All-Pro honors, however. And the same goes for Burton, though perhaps a second-team selection.
Wide receiver Courtland Sutton had a Pro Bowl-caliber season with 10 touchdowns. But his lack of receiving yardage likely held him back in the voting, as he'll come well short of a 1,000-yard season. Suffering a concussion on Christmas Eve cost him a chance to build up his yardage stats.
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