Von Miller Selected to 2020 Pro Bowl, Three Other Deserving Broncos Snubbed

Von Miller will make his eighth trip to the NFL's all-star game. But what about the other deserving performances the Broncos have seen this year?

It's hard to garner individual accolades and attention when mired on a losing team. Such has been the plight of Denver Broncos players over the last three seasons. 

Sitting at 5-9 and officially eliminated from the playoffs, the Broncos got word on Tuesday that outside linebacker Von Miller has been elected to the 2020 Pro Bowl. One is better than none. 

While fans might have expected other impact players to garner consideration for the Pro Bowl before Miller, it goes to show how much of a popularity contest the NFL's all-star game really is. After all, Miller has not had an 'all-star' season by any stretch and has in fact posted the worst statistical season of his nine-year NFL career. 

Miller heads into Week 16 with seven sacks and 28 solo tackles to go along with nine tackles for a loss. While he still has a chance at double-digit sacks, it'll be a surprise if he reaches it this year. 

Has Von's season been bad? No. But it hasn't been great and I'm dubious that his 2019 performance has been Pro Bowl-worthy, especially juxtaposed with some of the Broncos' other stand-out performances this season. But he is deserving of congratulations nonetheless. 

It marks his eighth Pro Bowl nod, which ties him with the great Steve Atwater and Champ Bailey for second-most trips to the NFL all-star game in Broncos history. Only John Elway has more as a Bronco with nine. Miller is tied with Patrick Peterson and Geno Atkins for the most Pro Bowl nods by an active defensive player. 

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Three Broncos were named as Pro Bowl alternates. Safety Kareem Jackson, returner Diontae Spencer and wideout Courtland Sutton. Jackson will finish this season on the suspended list, but all it will take for him to make the first Pro Bowl of his career is for one of the guys ahead of him to bow out, or make it to the Super Bowl. 

It's surprising that Sutton was not first-team Pro Bowler, considering the numbers he's produced catching passes from three different quarterbacks. Sutton has played in all 14 games with 63 catches for 1,019 yards and six touchdowns. 

Justin Simmons is the other obvious snub and he's not even listed as an alternate. He's literally the highest-graded safety in the league, per Pro Football Focus, and has posted a whopping 84 tackles (59 solo) with a career-high four interceptions and 14 passes defensed. 

Excellent play. But simply not high-profile enough to win the popularity contest that is the Pro Bowl. I wouldn't be surprised to see Simmons garner an All-Pro nod, though, which is a more accurate reflection of the all-star performances across the NFL each season. 

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.