Devon Key Makes History as One of Six Broncos Named to AP All-Pro Team

The Associated Press just dropped its 2025 All-Pro Team, and six Denver Broncos made the squad, including four first-teamers. Interior defender Zach Allen, left tackle Garett Bolles, special teams ace Devon Key, and right guard Quinn Meinerz were selected first-team All-Pro, while safety Talanoa Hufanga and cornerback Patrick Surtain II made the second team.

With six selections, the Broncos tied for the second-most in a season in franchise history, while the four first-teamers tied the most ever for Denver. This comes on the heels of the Broncos co-leading the NFL with six Pro Bowl selections this season.

At least one Bronco has made the A.P. All-Pro Team in each of the past 23 seasons. Celebrating this year's achievements, let's take a quick look at each Broncos All-Pro.

Zach Allen

Allen is finally getting the recognition he deserves as one of the NFL's most dominant interior defensive linemen. He made second-team All-Pro last year, while this is his debut on the first team.

Allen led the NFL with 47 quarterback hits (a new career-high), finishing with seven sacks as an interior defender. He's now just the fourth interior defender in Broncos history to earn All-Pro honors multiple times, joining the vaunted likes of Trevor Pryce, Rulon Jones, and Lyle Alzado.

Allen joined his friend and mentor, J.J. Watt, as the only players since 2006 to notch 40 quarterback hits in back-to-back seasons. How cool is that?

Garett Bolles

Bolles earned second-team All-Pro honors back in 2020, but this is also his first first-team selection. He's the only NFL tackle with at least 300 or more pass-blocking snaps to not allow a sack, per Pro Football Focus.

Bolles joined Ryan Clady and Gary Zimmerman as the only Broncos tackles in team history to garner first-team All-Pro honors. On the individual level, all that's left for Bolles to achieve this season is the inaugural Protector of the Year award.

Devon Key

This is the first All-Pro recognition of Key's career. He becomes the first player in Broncos history to make the A.P. All-Pro Team as a special teamer.

Key led the league with 26 special-teams tackles (17 solo). He also forced a fumble and appeared in all 17 regular-season games.

Key set a new franchise record in special-teams tackles, eclipsing Keith Burns' long-held mark of 24 (2003, 00). Major congratulations are in order for Key, who was snubbed in the Pro Bowl vote, though he is listed as an alternate.

Quinn Meinerz

Meinerz is the first Bronco since Von Miller (2015-16) to earn first-team All-Pro honors in back-to-back seasons. Meinerz's two first-team All-Pro selections rank first among guards in franchise history, tying with Clady and center Tom Nalen for the most by any Broncos offensive lineman.

Meinerz started all 17 games while battling through an undisclosed illness to begin this season. His 4.4 quarterback pressure percentage is the best among all NFL guards, according to NextGen Stats.

Meinerz only allowed two sacks this season, which is the fewest among all right guards with at least 600 pass-blocking snaps. The former 2021 third-round draft pick has become the best right guard in football.

Six #Broncos have been named to the A.P. All-Pro Team, including FOUR first-teamers (pictured).

• Zach Allen, DL
• Garett Bolles, LT
• Talanoa Hufanga, S
• Devon Key, ST
• Quinn Meinerz, OG
• Patrick Surtain II, CB pic.twitter.com/DMBMbLChvz
— Mile High Huddle (@MileHighHuddle) January 10, 2026

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Talanoa Hufanga

Hufanga locks in the second All-Pro honors of his career, becoming just the sixth safety in Broncos history to be named to the A.P.'s team. Hufanga joins legendary safeties like Justin Simmons, Brian Dawkins, Steve Atwater, Dennis Smith, and Billy Thompson in this respect.

This was Hufanga's first year with the Broncos after he spent his first four years with the San Francisco 49ers. He was signed as an unrestricted free agent last offseason, going on to total 106 tackles (67 solo), two sacks, three quarterback hits, 11 passes defensed, and one forced fumble.

Hufanga is just the second Bronco ever to record 100-plus tackles, 10-plus passes defensed, and multiple sacks in a season. Only one other player managed it in the NFL this season.

The only thing missing from his 2025 resume were interceptions, but it's not as if Hufanga didn't have ample opportunities. He believes his lack of interceptions this year is why he was snubbed in the Pro Bowl, which is absolutely true. Still, congrats are in order for the Broncos' game-changing safety.

Patrick Surtain II

Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II (2) reacts to his tackle during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers. — Jan 4, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II (2) reacts to his tackle during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

This is the third All-Pro recognition of Surtain's young career, and he joins Champ Bailey and Chris Harris Jr. as the only Broncos cornerbacks to garner such recognition three times. Surtain also became the first Broncos cornerback to be named to the A.P. All-Pro team in back-to-back seasons since Harris, who made it in 2014, '15, and '16.

Surtain was Denver's 2021 first-round pick (No. 9 overall). He's the first player in Broncos history to total at least 10 passes defensed in each of his first five seasons.

In 14 starts this year, Surtain totaled 47 tackles (37 solo) and one interception. According to NextGen Stats, he allowed the second-lowest amount of receiving yards (346) among cornerbacks with at least 60 targets, while his 41.3 tight-window percentage ranked first.

On the heels of winning the Defensive Player of the Year award, Surtain was again dominant, but a pectoral injury kept him off the field for three games, which is probably the main reason why he garnered second-team, not first-team, All-Pro honors.