Broncos stalwart Ja’Quan McMillian has a picture on his phone of the Pro Bowl Games logo for motivation. But perhaps he should switch it to an All-Pro logo.

Being a slot cornerback, it will be difficult for McMillian, who has played 66.7% of Denver’s defensive snaps this season, to be named to the Pro Bowl. But the Associated Press, which conducts voting from a 50-person media panel for the official NFL All-Pro team, added a slot cornerback to the team in 2023.

McMillian has to be regarded as a strong candidate for at least second-team honors. He has been a fixture in pass defense for the Broncos and leads all NFL defensive backs with 4.0 sacks.

“Who am I to say? But I think I’ve had a good season,’’ McMillian said of being considered for All-Pro honors. “That’s up to (the voters) to pick, but numbers show I’m right there. I’m leading in sacks at the cornerback position. I’ve made a few plays in the air in the pass game.”

Last season’s first-team slot cornerback was Baltimore’s Marlon Humphrey but he’s not having a good season. He is ranked just No. 103 among all NFL cornerbacks by Pro Football Focus, compared to No. 14 for McMillian.

The 2024 second-team slot cornerback was Derwin James of the Los Angeles Chargers. But he is a safety, and plenty were surprised when he got that nod.

The leading candidate for first-team honors this season is likely Philadelphia’s Cooper DeJean, ranked No. 15 among all cornerbacks by Pro Football Focus. He has the advantage of playing for the defending champions and got plenty of publicity as a rookie for his 38-yard interception return for a touchdown in the Eagles’ 40-22 romp over Kansas City last February in Super Bowl LIX.

McMillian, though, is having a top-notch season for the Broncos, who have one of the NFL’s best defenses and are a league-best 12-2 entering Sunday’s game against Jacksonville at Empower Field at Mile High.

“The kid’s a savage,’’ Broncos starting outside cornerback Riley Moss said of McMillian, listed at 5-foot-10, 183 pounds. “He stands at just, I’ll give him 5-10, but he’s not 5-10. But he flies in there. He’s very instinctual and he’s smart and he’s a big, big part of our defense in terms of the back end and being a glue guy. He’s all over. Does everything.”

That includes sacking quarterbacks. McMillian, who is big on setting goals, is closing in on what he set out to do before the season.

“On my refrigerator, I have it written ‘five sacks,’ so I got one more to reach that goal,’’ McMillian said.

McMillian, though, has some work to do to reach another goal. An interception he returned for 16 yards in Denver’s 22-19 win over Kansas City on Nov. 16 is his only one this season.

“I need some more picks,’’ McMillian said. “I wrote down five picks, and I only got one. I got a lot to do. Hopefully, we do something (in the final three) games.”

Nevertheless, McMillian has been all over the field this season. He has 45 tackles and seven passes defended.

“It’s super impressive to see what he does out there, covering and blitzing,’’ said Broncos outside linebacker Jonah Elliss. “He’s a super good athlete.”

McMillian is in his fourth season with the Broncos and third as the primary nickel back. He was locked in a battle during training camp and the preseason with rookie Jahdae Barron, the No. 20 pick in the draft, before beating him out.

“What I always say is I’m going to be myself. J-Mac is going to be J-Mac,’’ McMillian said. “I just do my job. I’m willing to do whatever for the team and for the coaches, and I’m just proud. I’m really enjoying this season.”

Whether there will be another Denver season for McMillian remains to be seen. He is due to become a restricted free agent in March, and the Broncos will need to decide whether to potentially agree to a significant contract with McMillian or commit to Barron as their nickel back of the future.

“Hopefully, hopefully,’’ McMillian said of wanting to return to Denver. “But who knows? I don’t really know what will happen. To be honest, I’m not really thinking about it. I’m focused on these next few games and hopefully winning out and doing what we all had goals set out for, and that’s to reach the Super Bowl.”

McMillian is making a minimum salary of $1.03 million this season. It remains to be seen what kind of offer sheet he could get from another team in 2026 or what the Broncos might be willing to offer.

The NFL salary-cap website OverTheCap.com projects that restricted free-agent one-year tenders in 2026 will be $7.893 million for a team to get a first-round pick if the player departs, $5.658 million for a second-round pick as possible compensation and $3.453 million for simply having right of first refusal.

Stay tuned to see if McMillian writes on his refrigerator what his salary goal will be for 2026.

What I’m hearing

–The Broncos have the NFL’s best record at 12-2 and have won 11 straight games. But it wasn’t long ago that fans were booing at games. There were plenty heard when the Broncos trailed the New York Giants 19-0 and 26-8 in the fourth quarter Oct. 19 before they stormed back to win 33-32. There were ample boos when the Broncos were lackluster in a 10-7 win over hapless Las Vegas on Nov. 6. “It is what it is,’’ said guard Quinn Meinerz. “The fans have a right to boo, and we weren’t putting a good product on the field, and they let us know because they actually know about football and have high expectations for this team.” There were few boos in Denver’s last two home games, though, the win over the Chiefs and last Sunday’s 34-26 victory over Green Bay.

–Denver’s Adam Prentice has seven touches in the past three games. That’s a good amount for a fullback. Prentice, signed as a free agent shortly before the start of the season, is thrilled that head coach Sean Payton is trusting him so much lately. “It’s great,’’ he said. “It shows the versatility (the Broncos have). … We can spread the ball around and be successful.” After having just four touches in Denver’s first eight games, Prentice, on the season, now has eight carries for 41 yards and six receptions for 53 yards.

What I’m seeing

–Broncos rookie Jeremy Crawshaw is having a decent season, but it has turned heads that the native of Australia leads all punters in fan voting so far for the Pro Bowl Games. “I’m going to tell you he probably has a strong Australian voting,’’ Denver special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi said with a laugh. “The country of Australia is probably represented, as well as our fans. But no, good for him.” Crawshaw is 12^th among NFL qualifiers in gross punting average at 47.7 yards and 16th in net average at 41.7 yards. However, Rizzi said that’s not a fair indicator and that Crawshaw is among NFL leaders in “a lot of analytics,” including punts inside the 20-yard line and forced fair catches.

–With their pace having been slowed in recent games, it would take a strong finish for the Broncos to break Chicago’s 1984 record of 72 sacks in a season. The Broncos have 58 sacks, meaning they would need 15 in the final three games to set the mark. They are averaging 4.14 sacks per game, a pace that would result in them finishing with roughly 70.5 sacks in a 17-game season. The Bears set their record in a 16-game season and Dan Hampton, a Hall of Fame defensive lineman on that team, has said there should be an asterisk if the Broncos break the mark in a 17^th game.