It is no secret that the Broncos have struggled with Pro Bowl selections in recent years. Over the past three seasons, the Broncos have only had four players featured in the Pro Bowl: Bradley Chubb, Justin Simmons, Von Miller, and Courtland Sutton, who replaced DeAndre Hopkins as an alternate in 2019. Additionally, the Broncos broke a 41-year streak by failing to have a single player represent them in the Pro Bowl last season for the first time since 1980.
So, how can the Broncos avoid any more Pro Bowl snubs? By winning more games.
Teams with winning records are typically represented well in the Pro Bowl, while teams sub-.500 are not. Looking at the last three seasons in which the Broncos struggled with Pro Bowl selections, on average only about 10 players out of 44 Pro Bowl slots came from teams with losing records.
It’s also worth noting the Pro Bowl isn’t what it once was. While the selection process has been somewhat uniform since 1995, social media now has a stronger influence on voting amongst fans, players, and coaches. The Broncos should benefit from that this season as they are scheduled to play in seven nationally televised games, five of which will take place in primetime. This is a major step up from the team’s two primetime games last year.
Now under new ownership, a new coaching staff, and a new quarterback, the Denver Broncos finally seem to be turning the tide. Here are five Broncos primed for a Pro Bowl appearance this season.
Denver Broncos Pro Bowler No. 1: Russell Wilson, QB
This one should come as a surprise to absolutely no one.
After pulling off one of the biggest trades in NFL history, the Denver Broncos acquired their purported missing piece, a quarterback.
Not a stranger to success, Russell Wilson threw for over 37,000 passing yards and 292 touchdowns during his tenure in Seattle. Last season, he joined Peyton Manning as the only quarterbacks to amass 100 wins in their first 10 seasons.
Now hitting the reset button in Denver, Wilson should make a smooth transition into the Broncos’ new offense. He will be supplied with a plethora of receiving threats, a strong running back duo, and a coaching staff that is committed to building an offense that will protect him while allowing him to play to his strengths.
Wilson is also presented with a unique opportunity this upcoming season. If able to secure wins in both the season opener against his former team, the Seattle Seahawks, and at least one of two meetings against the Los Angeles Chargers, Wilson will become only the fifth quarterback in NFL history to beat all 32 teams.
Russell Wilson needs wins over the Seahawks (Week 1) and Chargers (Week 6 or Week 18) to become the 5th QB in NFL history to defeat 32 different teams, joining Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning & Brett Favre
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) July 26, 2022
Wilson has made the Pro Bowl nine times in ten years since entering the league. A winning season under the spotlight in Denver should be sufficient enough to get Wilson his 10th Pro Bowl this upcoming year.