Broncos WR Demaryius Thomas tapped as Pro Bowl replacement

Less than a week after Denver Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders was tapped to replace Oakland Raiders Amari Cooper at this year’s Pro Bowl, his fellow 1,000-yard receiving teammate Demaryius Thomas also appears on his way.

Thomas will replace Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown on the 2017 squad, meaning the pair of standout wideouts will represent the Broncos offense Saturday in the NFL’s all-star game.

Denver will also send four defensive players, three from the “No Fly Zone” — safety Darian Stewart and cornerbacks Chris Harris Jr and Aqib Talib — and pass-rushing linebacker Von Miller.

This will be Thomas’ fifth-straight Pro Bowl appearance, as the league has retroactively credited the wide receiver with a 2015 Pro Bowl appearance, according to a news release from the team, after he was named an alternate last season but could not participate because of his participation in Super Bowl 50.

Thomas led the Broncos in receiving yards, with 1,083, beating Sanders by 51 yards. He also led the club in receptions (90) and targets (144) and finished tied with Sanders for the most touchdown catches (5).

In 2016, however, Thomas fell 217 yards short of tying an NFL record for the most consecutive seasons with 1,300 or more receiving yards and 90 or more catches. He had achieved the feat in each of the previous four seasons, tying San Francisco 49ers great and Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice for second all time.

Thomas also owns several Broncos franchise records, including most 100-yard receiving games in a season (10), and most 100-plus yard receiving games in franchise history (34).

The Pro Bowl will be held at Camping World Stadium in Orlando on Sunday at 6 p.m. on ESPN.

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @johnnyhart7.

A previous version of this story indicated the wrong number of Pro Bowls Demaryius Thomas has been credited with attending. He’s credited by the NFL with five selections.