Fangio Taps Small Handful of Broncos he Deems Worthy of Pro Bowl Consideration

Right now, Denver Broncos fans are down on their team. And for good reason.

Sitting at 3-6 for the fourth straight year, there's little to be excited about. 2020 has been a brutal year and for Broncos Country, the state of the team has only intensified that experience.

Collectively — as a team — the Broncos have been bad. We can face that. However, there have been a few bright spots at the individual level that have given fans at least some small silver lining to hang onto.

With Pro Bowl voting opening up around the NFL, Vic Fangio was asked which of his own players the Broncos' head coach deems worthy of consideration.

“Obviously, being the coach of the team, I’m going to go overboard," Fangio said on Wednesday. "[T Garett] Bolles, [G Dalton] Risner—obviously in the O-line are two guys that I think would deserve consideration. [G Graham] Glasgow possibly, but he’s missed a few of these games."

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Fangio started on the offensive side of the ball but then swung around to his area of expertise — the defense.

"I think [DE] Shelby [Harris] was playing very well, obviously, he’s going to miss three games—that always hurts a little bit," Fangio continued. "[OLB] Bradley’s [Chubb] doing well. I think [CB] Bryce [Callahan] is doing well. Both safeties, Kareem [Jackson] and Justin [Simmons] are doing well. Both inside linebackers are playing good for us, ‘AJ’ (Alexander Johnson) and Josey [Jewell]. I believe all of those guys—and [K] Brandon McManus, obviously—I think deserves strong consideration.”

Orange-Colored Glass Off

The only player on the offense with any claim to the Pro Bowl is left tackle Garett Bolles. Bolles has been the lone bright spot on the O-line. Although Dalton Risner has flashed at times, he's mostly been erratic.

It's shocking to write that Bolles is the only guy worthy of the Pro Bowl offensively considering his past. But he's been that good this year. Graham Glasgow? Not a chance he'll garner Pro Bowl consideration.

Defensively, I would have concurred with Coach Fangio that Shelby Harris was deserving of consideration but as he opined, missing three games will kill his chances at the Pro Bowl. Interior defensive linemen, for the most part, who make the NFL's all-star game are those who post sacks, which is hard to do, and taking down the QB is how those lunch-pail players stick out.

Harris was on pace to be just that caliber of interior rusher before he contracted COVID-19 and got stuck in the protocol. 2.5 sacks through seven games was solid but he was picking up steam and also batting down a lot of balls at the line of scrimmage.

After failing to post a QB takedown in the first three games, Bradley Chubb went on a tear from Weeks 4-8 but he's now gone two full games without a sack. He does lead the team with 5.5 sacks, though. If he finishes strong, the Pro Bowl could be a possibility even if it is unlikely.

At cornerback, Bryce Callahan is the only sure-fire Pro Bowler the Broncos have on defense. He's been an absolute revelation, with a couple of interceptions and five pass break-ups. Health-willing, Callahan has a great chance.

Fangio included Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson and while the former has flashed at times and boasts a team-high three interceptions, he hasn't been the consistent game-changer that he was last year. However, last year's second-team All-Pro nod got Simmons on the NFL radar, so to speak, and as is often the case, that could provide the momentum needed to parlay this year's significantly more uneven body of work into a Pro Bowl nod.

Jackson, though? I don't see it. If anything, he's slowed down in Year 2 as a Bronco.

Linebackers Alexander Johnson and Josey Jewell have been valiant as run-stuffers but they're lacking the type of game-changing 'pop' plays that garner the type of scrutiny to land in the Pro Bowl. If either has a shot, it's Johnson but he needs to start forcing some turnovers to parlay this season into a Pro Bowl nod.

Lastly, Brandon McManus absolutely has been money this year for Denver. Pro Bowl-worthy? I'd say so but with placekickers, it often comes down to highlight-type of plays, such as game-winners, that are required to overcome the relative anonymity of playing on a bad team.

That's the rub. The good teams garner the most Pro Bowl nods each year; not always because they have the best, most-deserving players, but because their teams are winners and that residual hype and sensation often land lesser guys in the NFL's all-star game.

Simmons' 2019 body of work is the perfect case to illustrate this NFL reality. He easily turned in a top-3 safety performance last year but because he was buried on a bad team, other, less-deserving safeties got the nod over him.

I'm not saying it's just. But it is the way the Pro Bowl works, considering how one-third of the voting is made up by coaches, one-third by players, and one-third by fans.

Which Broncos do you think are most deserving of the Pro Bowl? Sound off in the comment section below and don't forget to submit your own vote at NFL.com (which can be done multiple times).

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.

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