As the regular season nears its end, the NFL recognized dozens of players on Tuesday night with the announcement of this year’s selections to the 2020 Pro Bowl in Orlando, Florida.
The NFL’s best team, the Baltimore Ravens, led the way with a record 12 players named to the first official roster. The New Orleans Saints had seven players selected to the roster, while the Kansas City Chiefs had six.
Every team but two, the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants, saw at least one of its players receive the honor on Tuesday night. It means great things for the fans and, of course, the players who will now receive bonuses because of their hard work.
Now let’s take a look at this year’s initial rosters for the 2020 Pro Bowl.
AFC
Offense
- QB – Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens; Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs; Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans
- RB – Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns; Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans; Mark Ingram, Baltimore Ravens
- FB – Patrick Ricard, Baltimore Ravens
- WR – DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans; Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers; Jarvis Landry, Cleveland Browns; Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs
- TE – Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs; Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
- OT – Ronnie Stanley, Baltimore Ravens; Laremy Tunsil, Houston Texans; Trent Brown, Oakland Raiders
- OG – Marshal Yanda, Baltimore Ravens; Quenton Nelson, Indianapolis Colts; David DeCastro, Pittsburgh Steelers
- C – Maurkice Pouncey, Pittsburgh Steelers; Rodney Hudson, Oakland Raiders
Baltimore’s incredible success on offense this season saw six of its starters on offense named to the Pro Bowl. The Houston Texans received three selections on offense, including left tackle Laremy Tunsil as the blockbuster trade starts to look better for them.
Defense
- DE – Joey Bosa, Los Angeles Chargers; Frank Clark, Kansas City Chiefs; Calais Campbell, Jacksonville Jaguars
- DT – Cameron Heyward, Pittsburgh Steelers; Chris Jones, Kansas City Chiefs; Geno Atkins, Cincinnati Bengals
- OLB – Von Miller, Denver Broncos; T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers; Matt Judon, Baltimore Ravens
- ILB – Darius Leonard, Indianapolis Colts; Dont’a Hightower, New England Patriots
- CB – Stephon Gilmore, New England Patriots; Tre’Davious White, Buffalo Bills; Marcus Peters, Baltimore Ravens; Marlon Humphrey, Baltimore Ravens
- S – Minkah Fitzpatrick, Pittsburgh Steelers; Earl Thomas, Baltimore Ravens; Jamal Adams, New York Jets
A dominant season by Pittsburgh’s defense, sparked by the trade for Fitzpatrick, led to three players named to the AFC’s Pro Bowl roster on defense. The Ravens and New England Patriots defenses were also represented well.
Special Teams:
- K – Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens
- P – Brett Kern, Tennessee Titans
- LS – Morgan Cox, Baltimore Ravens
- Returner – Mecole Hardman, Kansas City Chiefs
- Specialist – Matthew Slater, New England Patriots
NFC
Offense:
- QB – Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks; Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints; Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
- RB – Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings; Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers; Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys
- FB – Kyle Juszczyk, San Francisco 49ers
- WR – Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons; Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints; Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- TE – George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers; Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles
- OT – David Bakhtiari, Green Bay Packers; Tyron Smith, Dallas Cowboys; Terron Armstead, New Orleans Saints
- OG – Zack Martin, Dallas Cowboys; Brandon Brooks, Philadelphia Eagles; Brandon Scherff, Washington Redskins
- C – Jason Kelce, Philadelphia Eagles; Travis Frederick, Dallas Cowboys
The NFC’s offensive lineup is stacked, though, an argument can be made that Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is more deserving than Rodgers. The receiving corps, featuring two Buccaneers’ receivers, stands out especially strong.
Defense:
- DE – Cameron Jordan, New Orleans Saints; Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers; Danielle Hunter, Minnesota Vikings
- DT – Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams; Fletcher Cox, Philadelphia Eagles; Grady Jarrett, Atlanta Falcons
- OLB – Chandler Jones, Arizona Cardinals; Khalil Mack, Chicago Bears; Shaquil Barrett, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- ILB – Bobby Wagner, Seattle Seahawks; Luke Kuechly, Carolina Panthers
- CB – Marshon Lattimore, New Orleans Saints; Richard Sherman, San Francisco 49ers; Darius Slay, Detroit Lions; Jalen Ramsey, Los Angeles Rams
- S –Budda Baker, Arizona Cardinals; Eddie Jackson, Chicago Bears; Harrison Smith, Minnesota Vikings
Fittingly, San Francisco’s defense drew plenty of recognition on this year’s Pro Bowl roster and it could have been even more if not for injuries. After signing a prove-it deal this offseason, Barrett adds another accolade to his resume before cashing in this offseason.
Special Teams
- K – Wil Lutz, New Orleans Saints
- P – Tress Way, Washington Redskins
- Returner – Deonte Harris, New Orleans Saints
- LS – Rick Lovato, Philadelphia Eagles
- Specialist – Cordarrelle Patterson, Chicago Bears