Four first-time Pro Bowl candidates on the Broncos for the 2023 season
The Denver Broncos feature a roster with exhaustive talent up and down. Could we see a few players make their first Pro Bowl with the team in the 2023 season? At the end of the day, I bet 100% of players would much rather win a Super Bowl than earn an individual award like a Pro Bowl nod, but it's still good to see players get that type of recognition.
Denver hasn't exactly been an epicenter of Pro Bowl talent over the last several seasons. The Broncos have had quite a few Pro Bowl-caliber players, but their on-field success has taken away some of the attention that should go to certain players.
Well, in 2023, things seem to be different. With a Hall of Fame head coach in town and what looks to be a competent coaching staff, the Broncos might be able to dig themselves out of the pit of irrelevancy and back into contention.
If they do that, it won't be without the help of the entire team, and perhaps a few players who could even make their first Pro Bowl in the 2023 season.
Four first-time Pro Bowl candidates on the Broncos for the 2023 season
1. Quinn Meinerz, RG
According to PFF at least, Quinn Meinerz is the 12th-best guard in football. That'd be out of 64 starting guards in the entire NFL. Here's what they had to say about the third-year pro:
"A third-round pick out of Wisconsin-Whitewater in the 2021 NFL Draft after impressing at the Senior Bowl, Meinerz took serious strides as a run blocker in 2022. His 78.6 PFF run-blocking grade placed fifth at the position, and while he can still improve his consistency, the peaks in his play have been really impressive to date."
- Gordon McGuinness
Also, according to his Pro Football Reference statistics page, Meinerz has been called for just four penalties in his first two years in the NFL. Out of 28 games, Meinerz has hardly had the whistle blown for an infraction.
It's clear that the third-round 2021 NFL Draft pick is ascending in the NFL, and he may actually get to play in a competent offensive scheme in 2023. That could do wonders for his development as we slowly creep toward him needing a long-term extension.
Playing next to one of the better right tackles in the NFL in Mike McGlinchey may also be an added plus for the Wisconsin-Whitewater product. Guards aren't necessarily thought of as much as tackles or other more flashy position, but it's abundantly clear that Quinn Meinerz is one of the best in football.