Four Broncos Up for Major Awards at NFL Honors Tonight

The Denver Broncos could clean up tonight at the NFL Honors ceremony.

KANSAS CITY, MO - DECEMBER 25: Denver Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto (15) before a Christmas Day NFL, American Football Herren, USA game between the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs on December 25, 2025 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO. | Scott Winters / IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

The NFL Honors ceremony kicks off on Thursday night and the Denver Broncos have five finalists vying for an award. Last year, the Broncos came away with one of the big ones, as cornerback Patrick Surtain II took home the Defensive Player of the Year award.

Surtain isn't in the DPoY running this time around, but one of his teammates is. NFL Honors will be hosted by Jon Hamm, and it kicks off at 7 p.m. MDT on NFL Network. It can also be streamed on Peacock.

Let's take a look at those Broncos in the running for an award on Thursday.

Nik Bonitto: Defensive Player of the Year

This award is Myles Garrett's to lose, and everyone knows it, especially after he broke Michael Strahan's long-held single-season sack record. However, it's cool to see Bonitto in the running for the second straight year.

Bonitto's 2025 campaign was the best of his young career, and it started off with a bang. He notched eight sacks through the first six games before going on a mini-slump.

Sometimes sacks come in bunches, and after a three-game drought, Bonitto returned to the sack column with a vengeance, totaling 4.5 over the next four games. He finished strong with multiple sacks over the Broncos' final three games.

All in all, Bonitto finished with a career-high 14 sacks, garnering Pro Bowl honors. He also finished with 46 tackles, two forced fumbles, and a very crucial tipped pass that secured a Broncos victory in overtime over the Washington Commanders.

The Broncos recently extended Bonitto, so he'll be here for the long haul. An especially cool thing to note about his 2025 campaign was that he played through the entire season hurt, with a cast on his injured thumb.

Garett Bolles & Quinn Meinerz: Protector of the Year

How cool is it to see two Broncos in the running for this award in it's inaugural year? Bolles is the frontrunner, as a left tackle and blindside protector, but Meinerz being named a finalist as a guard is eminently cool.

Both players earned Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors for their 2025 body of work. It was the first Pro Bowl recognition that either player had ever received.

Bolles' All-Pro recognition was the second of his career, after earning second-team honors in 2020. Meinerz is now a back-to-back first-team All-Pro and has firmly asserted himself as the best right guard in football.

Considering that Bo Nix finished as the least-sacked quarterback in the NFL this season, I have a hard time seeing anyone but Bolles winning the first-ever Protector of the Year award.

What happens next for the Broncos? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second, sign up for our free newsletter, and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

Garett Bolles: Walter Payton Man of the Year

Jan 25, 2026; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos offensive tackle Garett Bolles (72) blocks New England Patriots defensive end Milton Williams (97) during the first half in the 2026 AFC Championship Game at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Bolles was also just named the 2026 NFLPA Alan Page Community Award winner, which portends well for his Man of the Year outlook. Bolles comes from a troubled childhood and has followed a path similar to Michael Oher's, as popularized in the Hollywood film The Blind Side.

Through his community service and outreach, Bolles has worked with justice-involved youth through a juvenile probation court mentorship program in Arapahoe County. He also makes visits to the Marvin W. Foote Youth Services Center.

Bolles recently opened the Bjorem + Bolles Childhood Apraxia Training Center in Parker, CO. This facility helps children with "speech or language-based learning differences." Bolles' son was diagnosed with Childhood Apraxia of Speech, which inspired him to take action in the community.

It wouldn't be a surprise at all to see Bolles win the Walter Payton Man of the Year award. He's done some amazing work in the Denver community.

Vance Joseph: Assistant Coach of the Year

Joseph didn't get a second bite at the head-coaching apple, but he turned in one heck of a third season as Denver's defensive coordinator. Once again, the Broncos led the league in sacks (and it wasn't even close), finishing in the top 10 in all of the major statistical categories.

Joseph is beloved in the locker room. He's an excellent schemer and game-planner, and he's become one of the best in-game play-callers in the NFL.

Joseph's got some stiff competition, but winning the PFWA's version of this award could be a harbinger of what's set to unfold on Thursday night.