Broncos tie franchise record with 4 AP first-team All-Pro selections; 6 total players honored as All-Pros
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — After a regular season in which the Broncos earned the No. 1 seed in the AFC, six players have earned Associated Press All-Pro honors.
Right guard Quinn Meinerz, left tackle Garett Bolles, interior defensive lineman Zach Allen and special teamer Devon Key were named AP first-team All-Pros, the Associated Press announced Saturday.
Cornerback Pat Surtain II and safety Talanoa Hufanga earned second-team All-Pro nods.
The Broncos’ four first-team All-Pro selections are tied for the most in a season in franchise history, joining the 1977 and 1996 Broncos. Denver’s six total All-Pros are tied for the second-most in team history, trailing only the 1977 season’s seven selections.
Meinerz, who recently earned Pro Bowl honors for the first time in his career, is the first offensive lineman in team history to earn first-team All-Pro selections in consecutive seasons. He is also the first Broncos player since former outside linebacker Von Miller (2015-16) to earn first-team All-Pro honors in back-to-back years. Meinerz joins tackle Ryan Clady and center Tom Nalen as the only Broncos offensive linemen with multiple first-team selections, and he is the first Denver guard since Louis Vasquez in 2013 to earn first-team honors. The fifth-year player allowed the second-lowest pressure rate among right guards this season, according to NextGen Stats.
Bolles, a 2020 second-team All-Pro, has garnered first-team All-Pro honors for the first time in his career. The first Broncos tackle since Ryan Clady in 2012 to earn the nod, Bolles allowed the lowest pressure rate of any left tackle in the NFL, according to NextGen Stats. In a season in which he played 99 percent of Denver’s offensive snaps, Bolles posted that pressure rate while handling the second-most one-on-one matchups of any offensive lineman. Bolles is just the third tackle in franchise history to earn first-team All-Pro honors, and he also earned his first Pro Bowl selection in December.
With Meinerz and Bolles’ selection, the Broncos have a pair of All-Pro selections along the offensive line in the same season for the first time in franchise history.
Allen, who earned AP second-team All-Pro honors in 2024, is a first-team All-Pro for the first time in his career. The NFL leader in quarterback hits in each of the last two seasons, Allen also earned his debut Pro Bowl selection. Allen is the Broncos’ first interior defensive lineman to be named an AP first-team All-Pro since Trevor Pryce in 1999, and he has posted at least seven sacks in back-to-back years.
The Broncos’ new single-season special-teams-tackle record holder, Key recorded 26 tackles in the third phase of the game. Key is the first Broncos player to be chosen for the AP All-Pro special teamer slot, which was added to the All-Pro roster in 2016. Prior to Key’s selection, Denver’s most recent first-team All-Pro to play primarily on special teams was punter Mike Horan in 1988. Key led the NFL in both solo special teams tackles and assisted tackles, and he also notched a forced fumble.
Despite missing three games, Surtain earned All-Pro honors for the third time in his five NFL seasons. A first-team All-Pro in 2022 and 2024, Surtain posted the NFL’s third-highest tight-window throw rate (41.3 percent) and faced the second-lowest target rate on passes of 10-plus air yards (3.6 percent), per NextGen Stats. According to the NFL’s statistics team, Surtain allowed just three receptions for 53 yards and notched six passes defensed on 19 downfield targets, which marked the league’s lowest completion rate on such targets. A four-time Pro Bowler, Surtain recorded a game-changing interception against the Packers and posted double-digit passes defensed for the fifth time in his career.
In his first season in Denver, Hufanga notched an All-Pro selection for the first time in his career. Hufanga, who previously was named a first-team All-Pro in 2022 with the 49ers, posted career-highs in passes defensed (11), total tackles (106), solo tackles (67) and tackles for loss (six) while tying career bests in sacks (2.0) and quarterback hits (3). Hufanga is the first Broncos safety since Justin Simmons in 2023 to earn All-Pro honors.
