Broncos' Defenders Bradley Chubb, Justin Simmons Voted to 2021 Pro Bowl

The Denver Broncos needed a little mercy from the unrelenting Football Gods. That came on Monday in the form of the 2021 Pro Bowl voting with two Broncos getting the nod, both of whom are first-timers for the NFL's all-star game.

Rush linebacker Bradley Chubb and safety Justin Simmons were voted to the Pro Bowl. The fly in the ointment? Despite being Pro Football Focus' highest-graded offensive tackle in the AFC, Garett Bolles did not get the nod.

So much for the hashtag #ProBolles.

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That shouldn't detract or take away from the triumph of two first-time Pro-Bowlers for the Broncos.

Bradley Chubb

Chubb's selection is particularly poignant because of the mountain of adversity he had to summit after tearing his ACL last year and missing most the 2019 campaign.

Chubb absolutely attacked his ACL rehab during the offseason. When he suffered a slight setback with his knee toward the end of training camp, fans were afraid to exhale. He ended up starting 2020 off slowly but really came on strong starting in Week 4.

All in, Chubb leads the NFL with 47 QB pressures and has 7.5 sacks, to go along with 42 tackles (26 solo), nine tackles for a loss, and a forced fumble. He was extremely emotional in his virtual press conference Monday evening after the Pro Bowl news broke.

“It put the icing on top," Chubb said. "Like I said, it’s special and it means a lot to me after this crazy year and after everything I’ve been through and this whole team has been through. To have this bright spot is something to look forward to.”

Chubb was drafted No. 5 overall by the Broncos in 2018 and went on to post a 12-sack rookie campaign, joining only 20 NFL players to ever reach that number in Year 1 and falling short of the rookie record by 2.5 sacks. He should have made the Pro Bowl that year but getting it now makes up for it.

Justin Simmons

As for Simmons, everyone knows he was a Pro Bowl snub last year. But he at least garnered second-team All-Pro honors and he took that as motivation for 2020.

Playing on the franchise tag this year, Simmons has 89 tackles (73 solo), four interceptions, seven passes break-ups, and one fumble recovery. It hasn't been nearly as prolific as 2019 was for him, but that doesn't take away from how deserving he is for this accolade.

Getting his first Pro Bowl nod the same year that Chubb did was huge for Simmons.

“Man, it means so much," Simmons said Monday night. "I saw—right before I got on I saw the interview with Chubb and I got teary-eyed thinking about it. He called me earlier today and he kind of told me the news that he made it too, and I mean shoot, I got emotional then too. Just for him to have the rookie season that he had, and obviously what happened with the knee injury and then to come back and make a Pro Bowl year out of what was a difficult season for us as a team. I mean, it just speaks volumes to him and what he can do, man. He's an unbelievable guy and I'm so happy that I get to somewhat share his experience in terms of both of us getting in for the first time.”

Simmons joined the Broncos as a third-round pick back in 2016 and was a three-year starter before hitting unrestricted free agency this past spring. The Broncos franchise-tagged him which means he'll be a free agent again when the season ends. This accolade will no doubt help him in his negotiations for a long-term deal.

We don't yet know who the Pro Bowl alternates are. It'll be interesting to see if Bolles makes it as an alternate. If he does, that would mean that if another player had to bow out due to Super Bowl or injuries, Bolles would get to play potentially and put 'Pro Bowl' on his resume.

Cornerback Bryce Callahan had a legit claim to the Pro Bowl but missing a game or two and then suffering that foot injury that landed him on injured reserve nullified his eligibility. One could make an argument for left guard Dalton Risner but he hasn't been dominant and got off to a slow start.

Defensive tackle Shelby Harris was on his way to a Pro Bowl profile before COVID-19 cost him four games right in the middle of the season when everyone was beginning to vote on it. Maybe off-ball linebacker Alexander Johnson, too, but aside from that, it's hard to view any other Broncos as producing a truly Pro Bowl-caliber performance in 2020.

But this is a young team with potential in spades, so it wouldn't be surprising to see guys like Drew Lock, Jerry Jeudy, Noah Fant, and of course, Courtland Sutton, get in at some point in the not-too-distant future, and the same goes for Risner.

Defensively, if Dre'Mont Jones keeps developing the way he has, it's only a matter of time before he garners such accolades.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.