Sean Payton Shines Light on Broncos' All-Pro Special-Teamer

The Denver Broncos recently had a league-high six players garner All-Pro nods for the 2025 season. Five of the six are established names including Patrick Surtain II, Zach Allen, and Quinn Meinerz.

The lone straggler is less established but equally impactful on the proverbial third side of the ball: defensive back Devon Key, who became the first player in Broncos history to earn All-Pro honors as a special-teamer.

A former undrafted free agent who joined the Broncos in 2022, working his way from the practice squad to the active roster, Key led the NFL in special-teams tackles (26) across all 17 regular-season games, eclipsing former linebacker Keith Burns' previous franchise record (24).

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To say head coach Sean Payton has been impressed by Key's performance this year would be a massive understatement. Payton devoted a chunk of last Friday's press conference — his first ahead of the playoffs — to spotlight the Western Kentucky product.

“I was hoping you were going to say his name," he told a reporter. "I just realized he’s had more special-teams tackles than anyone in the history of the Broncos. Every week, we give awards. Special team game balls, offensive and defensive game balls. His name comes up, and even in his play last week when he came on defense, he just steadily, quietly… Is he at [26]? We can talk about the extended game. I get it, but that’s hard to do in the kicking game now. That’s hard to do. Tomorrow we’ll get to talk about the other stuff… When I hear something, ‘In the history of,’ depending on where you’re at, but when you’re at Denver and you say, ‘In the history of,’ well then that means something. This place has played a lot of good football for a long time, and he’s tackled more people in the kicking game than anyone in the history of. I think there’ll be a lot of former special teamers, former defensive players, that would be like, ‘Wow. That’s something.’ There’s a grit to that and a toughness to that."

Payton continued: "I always love that story that [Pro Football Hall of Fame Coach Bill] Parcells told when they were beating somebody, but they were having trouble covering kicks. [Pro Football Hall of Fame LB Lawrence] Taylor had gotten tired of seeing these kick returns in this game, and he basically dismantled the kick coverage unit, and he picked 10 others, and it was the ‘Best we got,’ he called them. These guys just lined up across the field and covered a kick. They didn’t have lane integrity or anything. They just went down. Taylor was tired of seeing that ball start at midfield. I asked Bill, ‘What did you do?’ He said, ‘I just let him pick the other 10.’ (Laughs) Devon’s one of those guys that… Remember, it’s not like the opponent doesn’t recognize who they have to double team. So, that’s what’s impressive.”

Key doesn't draw the headlines as his all-star teammates do, but he's proven to be an invaluable commodity to the operation and was rightly recognized for his efforts — both by the All-Pro voters and his own coach.

Key, Barron — Jan 4, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos safety Devon Key (26) reacts with cornerback Jahdae Barron (23) after a play in the first quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

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Surtain, as mentioned, added another superlative to his collection, scoring a second-team All-Pro selection (to go along with his fourth straight Pro Bowl) after totaling 37 solo tackles, 12 pass deflections, and one interception over the course of the regular season.

Limited to 14 games due to injury, Surtain showed he remains one of, if not the NFL's best cornerback when healthy — and was recognized as such.

“It was pretty good," he said of his 2025 campaign. "Obviously, I hadn’t been down for that amount of time [before]. I was out for some games, but I felt like when I got back in, I didn’t lose a step that much. Obviously, there were some mishaps here and there, but that happens. It’s football. I felt like I got back out there playing my style of game and playing to my standard."