Denver Broncos offensive lineman Quinn Meinerz has emerged as one of the best guards in the NFL, but he was snubbed by Pro Bowl voters last season.
Meinerz was named an alternate but did not end up making the all-star game. After that disappointment in 2023, Meinerz has shifted the focus of his goals to a more important task in 2024: playoffs.
“I definitely have personal goals, but right now it’s about keeping things small and not necessarily focusing on that,” Meinerz said on June 11. “I think I might have focused a little too much on being a Pro Bowl player and almost feeling let down in a sense [last year]. That’s not necessarily where I am focused at anymore.
“I think that is kind of an individual thing that will happen as a byproduct of playing well and being consistent. At the end of the day, the thing that really matters to me most is postseason football.”
Meinerz is right. Pro Bowl rosters are often filled with players from teams with the best records. It’s easy for star players on losing teams to be overlooked because of the club’s record. The Broncos having success as a team overall will draw more attention to their individual stars.
And while earning an all-star nod is obviously a goal for every player, getting the team back to the playoffs is the first and most important task. We’ll see if Meinerz and Co. can break an eight-year playoff drought in 2024. That’s the No. 1 goal of every player in Denver.
