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The Denver Broncos list 26 starters on their depth chart. Nineteen of those players are in contention to be voted to play in the NFL's annual All-Star game in January.
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This year's Pro Bowl game will have a new format, as NFL.com's Dan Hanzus explained earlier this year:
Under the new format, players will be selected without regard to conference in voting by fans, coaches and players. Players will be assigned to teams through the Pro Bowl Draft, which will air on Wednesday, Jan. 22, on NFL Network. The 2014 Pro Bowl will be held on Sunday, Jan. 26, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu.
To put it simply, it will no longer be AFC vs. NFC, but 43 NFL All-Stars against 43 fellow NFL All-Stars. This means we could see Broncos defensive backs covering Broncos wide receivers in a non-practice setting—that's not something you see every day.
Courtesy of the team's official website, here's a look at the Broncos that rank among the top ten vote-getters at their respective positions:
| BRONCOS PRO BOWL VOTING LEADERS | |||
| Player | Position | Votes | Pos. Rk. |
| Peyton Manning | QB | 654,309 | 1st* |
| G | 108,105 | 1st | |
| ST | 75,118 | 1st | |
| TE | 278,765 | 2nd | |
| G | 110,123 | 2nd | |
| PR | 107,912 | 2nd | |
| WR | 312,056 | 4th | |
| T | 84,625 | 4th | |
| K | 61,809 | 4th | |
| WR | 293,552 | 5th | |
| G | 86,885 | 5th | |
| RB | 225,256 | 7th | |
| DE | 102,938 | 7th | |
| OLB | 75,815 | 7th | |
| FS | 26,729 | 7th | |
| SS | 34,483 | 8th | |
| T | 78,424 | 8th | |
| P | 37,518 | 8th | |
| WR | 153,242 | 10th | |
| *First among all players | |||
The whole idea of a Pro Bowl has been criticized in recent years, due in large part to the quality of the game. Players do however still consider it an honor to earn a Pro Bowl selection.
As for the voting, there are obviously some glitches in the system. Denver has Champ Bailey (who has played in two games this season) as one of their two cornerbacks while Chris Harris Jr. is not on the ballot. That is absolutely outrageous, especially when one considers how well Harris has played.
Fellow cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie has also had a big year, but he is nowhere to be found among the top vote-getters at cornerback. Meanwhile, Wes Welker ranks higher than Demaryius Thomas in the voting (there's no logical explanation for that).
Fan voting is obviously a popularity contest, and these results clearly confirm that.
A large chunk of these 19 players will likely be voted to the game, but they may be too busy to participate. While we wait to find out if that will be the case, you can cast your ballot at NFL.com.