Pat Surtain will start in the 2023 Pro Bowl Games

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Broncos are back in the Pro Bowl.

Second-year cornerback Pat Surtain will be a starter in the 2023 Pro Bowl, the NFL announced Wednesday. He could be joined by safety Justin Simmons, who was selected as a first alternate. The event will be held Feb. 5 in Las Vegas.

Surtain has established himself among the league’s top cornerbacks this season. He has given up less than 30 yards per game this season and has a pair of interceptions, which both came in the last two games. Pro Football Focus has graded him as the No. 2 cornerback in the league this season, behind Jets rookie Sauce Gardner.

Simmons is a two-time All-Pro and one-time Pro Bowler. He has four interceptions this season, which makes him the only player with at least four interceptions in each of the past four seasons. Last year, 25 Pro Bowl alternates played in the game.

Pro Bowlers were selected by the votes of fans, players and coaches. Each group counted one-third toward deciding which 88 players would earn invites to the event. Surtain did not finish among the top 10 cornerbacks in the fan vote, which means the players and coaches must have boosted his candidacy.

This year’s Pro Bowl will take on a different form. Instead of playing a traditional football game, the league calls the event the “2023 Pro Bowl Games.” The games will consist of skills competitions and a non-contact flag football game. The AFC will be coached by Broncos legend Peyton Manning and the NFC will be coached by his brother Eli.

The Broncos didn’t have any Pro Bowlers last season. They’d had at least one Pro Bowler in every season since 1980 and at least two since 1989.

The Broncos have four former Pro Bowlers on their roster, quarterback Russell Wilson (2012-15, 2017-21), safety Simmons (2020), wide receiver Courtland Sutton (2019) and running back Latavius Murray (2015).