Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller is the only Denver player that was voted to the 2020 Pro Bowl, the league announced Tuesday evening. Wide receiver Courtland Sutton, safety Kareem Jackson and returner Diontae Spencer are alternates for the AFC at their respective positions.
Miller has now been voted to eight Pro Bowls in his career. John Elway is the only player in franchise history that was voted to more (nine). While that’s great achievement for Miller, fans in Denver can’t help but feel upset about the team’s big snubs: safety Justin Simmons and nose tackle Shelby Harris.
Simmons ranks second among AFC strong safeties with four interceptions and his 84 tackles rank third. Simmons was diplomatic when talking about his Pro Bowl candidacy on Tuesday but the fact that the safety is not even an alternate is absurd.
“When it comes down to it, whether I make it or not, I’ve just got to keep fighting the good fight and keep stacking up good seasons,” Simmons said.
Harris should have made the AFC roster as well, or at the very least made the alternate list. Harris ranks first among all defensive linemen with seven pass breakups and second among interior AFC defensive linemen with six sacks this season. He is a nose tackle but Harris believes being viewed as a defensive end hurts his chances of reaching the All-Star game.
“You’ve got all those outside rushers out there — you’ve got Von, Joey Bosa,” Harris said Tuesday. “That’s what I feel like needs to change when it comes to Pro Bowl, but other than that you’ve got three, four ends who aren’t really ends, but we get considered like we’re Joey Bosa, Melvin Ingram and those guys.
“If anything, I think three or four ends should be classified as tackles. That’s just the way it is. You have to think about it, [Derek] Wolfe’s never made it in, but look — J.J. Watt. J.J. Watt is specifically outside now. It sucks, but that’s not really what we play the game for anyway. It’s just an added bonus.”
That’s a valid point from Harris. Players like him and Wolfe who play in a 3-4 defense should not be viewed the same way traditional defensive ends are viewed. Harris was one of the AFC’s best interior defensive linemen this season and he should have been rewarded with a Pro Bowl nod.
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