When the Broncos defense has needed a big play this season, more often than not somebody has made one.
Nobody’s made more than cornerback Pat Surtain II and outside linebacker Nik Bonitto.
Thursday morning, that pair was recognized when they were named AFC Pro Bowl starters. So, too, was second-year return man Marvin Mims Jr., giving Denver a trio of starters in the NFL’s all-star game for the second straight year.
Surtain, like Mims, earned the starting nod for the second season in a row after authoring the most dominant campaign of his standout four-year career so far. Bonitto burst onto the scene in his third pro season, racking up 11.5 sacks in a 12-game span, and now has made his first career Pro Bowl.
Bonitto at 25 is the oldest of the three players and all figure to be major parts of Denver’s core group for years to come.
Bonitto went on a string of games in which he made decisive plays. He sealed a late-November win at Las Vegas with a strip sack, then scored touchdowns on a pick-six and a fumble return score the next two games against Cleveland and Indianapolis, respectively.
Surtain has put together one dominant outing after another. His 100-yard pick-six Week 5 against the Raiders remains a turning point in the season and he’s forced five turnovers despite being among the least-targeted defensive backs in football, according to Next Gen Stats.
Mims is being recognized for his return work — a 61-yard punt return set up Denver’s go-ahead touchdown in a critical win against the Colts — but he’s become a real offensive weapon in recent weeks, too. He’s now the Broncos’ second-leading receiver at 452 yards, and over the past six games he’s played at a 1,085-yard pace and caught three touchdowns.
The Broncos could see their number of representatives grow, unless they’re playing in the Super Bowl and therefore not sending anybody to the early February festivities in Orlando, Fla.
Denver has eight total alternates in the running, led by first alternates in right guard Quinn Meinerz and long snapper Mitchell Fraboni.
Meinerz, like the trio of named starters, led his position group in the fan-voting portion of the selection process among AFC players. Player selections are determined by a combination of fan, player and coach votes, with each group counting for a third.
Left tackle Garett Bolles and kicker Wil Lutz are third alternates.
Rookie quarterback Bo Nix was named a fourth alternate after throwing 25 touchdowns and 12 interceptions and starting in all 16 games for Denver so far. He’s joined in that group by defensive tackle Zach Allen and fullback Michael Burton. Safety Brandon Jones is a fifth alternate.
Allen’s positioning as a fourth alternate is perhaps the biggest surprise. Not only is he up to 8.5 sacks on the season after 3.5 Saturday at Cincinnati, but his 65 pressures, per Next Gen Stats, are ninth-most overall and lead all defensive tackles. He’s played 90% of defensive snaps over his 15 games and also finished No. 2 in the fan portion of the voting behind only Pittsburgh’s Cameron Heyward. Allen could end up getting All-Pro recognition despite the low alternate Pro Bowl finish.
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