NFL Announces Pro Bowl Rosters for a Weeklong Virtual Event

The Pro Bowl has gone through several changes over the years, but the 2020 version will be the most unique one yet. In mid-October, the NFL announced that an in-person game would not happen. The following month, the league decided to turn the event into a weeklong experience, with celebrities, current, and legendary NFL players, as well as gaming streamers, managing the Pro Bowl rosters and facing off in the Madden NFL 21 video game. The week culminates in a virtual game with the Pro Bowl players controlling themselves in a virtual game that will be televised nationally on ESPN and ABC.

On Dec. 21, the 2020 rosters were announced on the NFL Network. The game was originally scheduled for Jan. 31, 2021, at Allegiant Stadium, and the league announced that the Raiders would host the game after next season. Despite the absence of an actual contest, players get credit for a Pro Bowl selection on their records. Since the game is virtual, every player selected will appear, unlike in recent years, when the Super Bowl participants were held out of the contest. Finally, players will get full monetary bonuses for appearing in the game (last year, players on the winning team received $70,000 and those on the losing team got $35,000).

The event began in 1938 as a matchup pitting the NFL champion against the best players from the rest of the teams. There was no contest held from 1943-49, but the game returned in 1950 with the American and National Conference teams squaring off. The format switched to East vs. West in 1953 and continued through 1969, with the AFL holding a separate All-Star Game beginning in 1960.

After the NFL merger in 1970, the NFC and AFC met annually the Sunday after the Super Bowl until 2009, when the game was moved to the Sunday in between the conference championships and the Super Bowl. The event was held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum from 1950-71 and, after rotating for a few seasons, the game moved to Aloha Stadium in Hawaii, where it stayed from 1979-2015, except for 2009 (Sun Life Stadium in Miami) and 2014 (University of Phoenix Stadium).

The Pro Bowl changed formats from 2013-15, when legends such as Jerry Rice, Michael Irvin, Cris Carter, and Deion Sanders were named captains and selected teams regardless of conference. The game returned to the AFC-NFC format and moved to Camping World Stadium in Orlando from 2016-19.

Even though fans can choose their favorite players online, their votes are not the only ones that count. The vote breakdown is split evenly between fans, current players, and coaches, with each group counting for one-third in the selection process. Illustrating this point is the fact the four players, Jets rookie tackle Mekhi Becton, Texans inside linebacker Zach Cunningham, Bills safety Jordan Poyer and Colts rookie kicker Rodrigo Blankenship, led the fan vote at their respective positions but did not make the final selection.

Here is the breakdown of the Pro Bowl rosters, beginning with the AFC (number of selections in parentheses).

AFC OFFENSE

QB: Patrick Mahomes (3rd selection), Josh Allen (1st), and Deshaun Watson (3rd). Mahomes earned the most votes with 342,353. The MVP of Super Bowl LIV with the Chiefs leads the NFL with 4,740 yards and is tied for second with 38 touchdowns to just six interceptions. Through Week 15, Allen ranks fourth with 4,000 yards and he is tied for sixth with 30 scoring passes. He led the Bills to their first AFC East title in 25 years with a win over the Broncos. Watson ranks second in passing yards and is tied for eighth in touchdowns as the Texans’ leader. His 4,458 yards and 30 scores are both career highs.

RB: Derrick Henry (2nd), Nick Chubb (2nd), and Josh Jacobs (1st). Henry received the third-most votes with 315,359. He is well on the way to winning his second rushing title with a career-high 1,777 yards through 15 games. Henry is also second in the NFL with 15 touchdowns. He led the Titans to the AFC Championship Game last season after posting 1,540 yards and 16 scores. Chubb ranks seventh with 959 yards and is tied for fourth with 11 touchdowns. Although he is well behind last season’s career-best rushing pace, Chubb has helped the Browns win 10 games for the first time since 2007. Jacobs sits sixth in the league with 976 yards, and he also has 10 scores. Last year’s All-Rookie Team member is the leading offensive catalyst for a Raiders team that is 7-8 so far this season.

FB: Patrick Ricard (2nd) is the lead blocker for an offense that is led by 2019 NFL MVP Lamar Jackson, as well as running backs Gus Edwards and rookie J.K. Dobbins. The Ravens lead the NFL with 177.8 rushing yards per game.

WR: Stefon Diggs (1st), Tyreek Hill (5th), Keenan Allen (4th), and A.J. Brown (1st). Despite going over the 1,000-yard mark for a third straight year, Diggs finally was selected to the Pro Bowl. He leads the league with 111 receptions and ranks fifth with 1,314 yards (both career highs) as Josh Allen’s favorite target for the 11-3 Bills. On the other end of the spectrum, Hill has been named to the Pro Bowl in each of his five seasons. He is second in the NFL with 15 scores and ranks seventh with 1,276 yards for a Kansas City team that has the best record in the league at 14-1. Allen ranks sixth with 100 catches, and he is eight yards shy of his fourth straight 1,000-yard season. Although the Chargers are just 6-9, Allen has been an invaluable asset in the development of rookie quarterback Justin Herbert. Brown is tied for sixth in 10 touchdowns to go along with 60 receptions and 924 yards. He had 51 yards in a Titans loss to the Chiefs in the 2019 AFC Championship Game.

TE: Travis Kelce (6th) and Darren Waller (1st). Kelce has eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving for the fifth straight year. His 1,416 yards leads the league after 15 games and is a single-season record by a tight end (passing the 1,377 George Kittle had in 2018). Kelce also has 105 catches and 11 touchdowns for 14-1 Kansas City. Waller has 98 receptions, 1,079 yards, and eight touchdowns for the Raiders this season. He has 537 yards in his past four games, including 200 in a Week 13 win over the Jets.

Offensive Line: The tackles are Eric Fisher (2nd), Laremy Tunsil (2nd), and Orlando Brown Jr. (2nd). Fisher was the first overall pick of the 2013 NFL Draft, and he is a veteran presence on a Chiefs offense that leads the league with 319 passing yards per game. Tunsil was a first-round pick of the Dolphins in 2016, and he was traded to the Texans before the 2019 season. Houston ranks second in the NFL with 297 passing yards (although they are tied for second-worst in rushing offense). Brown, the son of former Browns and Ravens tackle, Orlando Brown Sr., has helped create holes for Baltimore’s league-leading rushing attack. However, the team has a league-worst 186.5 passing yards per game.

The guards are Joel Bitonio (3rd), Quenton Nelson (3rd), and David DeCastro (6th), and the centers are Maurkice Pouncey (9th) and Ryan Kelly (2nd). Bitonio is a seven-year veteran whose specialty is opening lanes for Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, and the league’s fourth-best running game in Cleveland (145.5 yards per game). Nelson, the sixth overall pick in 2018, is a huge presence on the Colts’ offensive line. Kelly is a veteran leader for an Indianapolis offense that is led by quarterback Philip Rivers, wide receiver T.Y. Hilton and rookie running back Jonathan Taylor. DeCastro and Pouncey have been the best at their positions for the better part of a decade, and they are the keys to success for Ben Roethlisberger and a Steelers’ offense that started the season 11-0.

AFC DEFENSE

DE: Joey Bosa (3rd), Myles Garrett (2nd), and Frank Clark (2nd). Bosa has 7½ sacks in 2020 and 47½ overall in five seasons. He is the leader of a Chargers squad that is ranked ninth in passing defense, but he missed time this season with a concussion. Garrett is seventh in the NFL with 12 sacks, and he has 42½ in four seasons. The top pick in the 2017 NFL Draft has gone from swinging his helmet at Mason Rudolph last year to being Cleveland’s nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2020. Clark was traded from the Seahawks to the Chiefs during the 2019 NFL Draft, and he has made the Pro Bowl in both seasons with Kansas City. He has six sacks for a unit that is coming off a win in Super Bowl LIV.

DT: Cameron Heyward (4th), Chris Jones (2nd), and Calais Campbell (6th). Heyward has spent his entire 10-year career with Pittsburgh, amassing 58 sacks. The Steelers ran second in the NFL against the pass, allowing just 196 yards per game, and they are also eighth against the run. Jones has 7½ sacks this season and 40½ in his five-year career. He made one stop and knocked down three passes in a 31-20 win over the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV. Campbell spent his first 12 seasons as a defensive end with the Cardinals and Jaguars before converting to tackle with the Ravens in 2020. Baltimore is living out the old mantra of winning by running the ball and stopping the run. The Ravens have the best rushing offense in the NFL and are ninth against the run on defense.

OLB: Bradley Chubb (1st), T. J. Watt (3rd), and Matthew Judon (2nd). Chubb returned after missing 12 games in 2019 with a torn ACL to post 7½ sacks and lead a Broncos defense that ranks 12th against the pass. The North Carolina State Product had 12 sacks and was a member of the All-Rookie Team in 2018. Watt leads the NFL and has set a career-high this season with 15 sacks, and he has 49½ so far in four years with the Steelers. The 2017 All-Rookie Team member is a leader of a new Steel Curtain defense that is second in the league against the pass and eighth against the run. Judon has totaled six sacks this season and 34½ in his five-year career. He is a versatile defender with a Ravens unit that is the ninth-best against the run.

ILB: Darius Leonard (2nd) and Tremaine Edmunds (2nd). Leonard is a do-everything defender who ranks 10th in the NFL with 122 tackles to go along with two sacks, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. The 2018 Defensive Rookie of the Year is a leader on a Colts team that is 10-5 in 2020. Edmunds has had at least 100 sacks in all three of his professional seasons, including 105 with the Bills this year. Buffalo ranks seventh against the pass.

CB: Xavien Howard (2nd), Tre'Davious White (2nd), Stephon Gilmore (4th), and Marlon Humphrey (2nd). Howard leads the league with both nine interceptions and 19 passes defensed. He has 21 picks in five seasons and he is part of a team that allows a conference 18.8 points per game. White has three interceptions in 2020 and 15 overall in four seasons with the Bills. He also made 55 tackles for a Buffalo team that ranks seventh against the pass. Gilmore has been selected to the Pro Bowl in each of the past three seasons. Despite being on the injured list with a partially torn quad, he is a member of the Patriots’ fourth-best pass defense. Humphrey has career highs with 81 tackles and an NFL-high eight forced fumbles in 2020. He has started 14 games for a Baltimore defense that ranks ninth against the run.

Safeties: Minkah Fitzpatrick (2nd) and Justin Simmons (1st) are on the free safeties and Tyrann Mathieu (2nd) is on the strong side. Fitzpatrick is tied for fifth with four interceptions, and he has 11 overall in three seasons with the Dolphins and Steelers. He also posted 74 tackles and 10 passes defensed for Pittsburgh's second-stingiest passing defense. Simmons has exactly 93 tackles and four interceptions for the second straight year. The Broncos are 12th against the pass this season. Mathieu is third in the NFL with six interceptions, and he has 23 in his eight-year career. The “Honey Badger” also has 62 tackles and nine passes defensed with the defending champion Chiefs.

AFC SPECIAL TEAMS

ST: Jake Bailey (1st), Justin Tucker (4th), Andre Roberts (3rd), Matthew Slater (9th), and Morgan Cox (4th). Bailey leads the NFL with a 46.1-yard net average and is fourth with a 48.7 overall average for the Patriots. Tucker is the all-time NFL leader with a 90.6 percent success rate on field goals. The Super Bowl XLVII champion totaled at least 100 points in each of his first nine seasons and his 1,215 overall with the Ravens. Roberts ranks second in the league with 912 kickoff return yards and is fourth with 261 on punt returns this season with the Bills. He led the NFL with 1,174 kickoff return yards as a member of the Jets in 2018. Slater is the most-decorated special teams player with nine Pro Bowl and two All-Pro selections. He also has won three championships with the Patriots during his 13-year career. Cox has played 164 games in 11 seasons as a long snapper with the Ravens. The member of the Super Bowl XLVII champion Ravens team missed nine games with a torn ACL during the 2014 season.

NFC OFFENSE

QB: Aaron Rodgers (9th selection), Russell Wilson (7th), and Kyler Murray (1st). Rodgers leads the NFL with 44 touchdown passes, the third time he has eclipsed that mark in his career. He ranks fifth with 4,059 yards and he has thrown just five interceptions. Rodgers has the Packers in the top spot in the conference through 15 games. Wilson was second to Mahomes in total votes with 335,156. He is tied for second with Mahomes behind Rodgers with 38 scoring passes and he ranks seventh with 4,031 yards. Wilson led the Seahawks over the Rams in Week 16, allowing Seattle to clinch the NFC West title. Murray has 3,884 yards and 26 touchdowns passing, along with 816 yards and 11 scores rushing (tied for fourth in the league). The top pick in the 2019 NFL Draft has Arizona (8-7) in the thick of the NFC playoff picture.

RB: Dalvin Cook (2nd) ranks second in the NFL with 1,484 yards, and he is tied for the league lead with 15 touchdowns. Although he is having a career year, the Vikings are just 6-8 and two games out of a playoff spot in the NFC. Alvin Kamara (4th) has made the playoffs in each of his four seasons. The 2017 Offensive Rookie of the Year has 777 yards and 10 touchdowns rushing, as well as 739 yards and five scores receiving for the playoff-bound Saints. Aaron Jones (1st) ranks fourth in the league with 968 yards to go along with eight touchdowns for the NFC-leading Packers. He is still behind last year’s totals when he had 1,084 yards and a league-high 16 scores.

FB: Kyle Juszczyk (5th) has been selected to the Pro Bowl in all four years he has been with the 49ers, as well as 2016 with the Ravens, The injury-riddled 49ers rank 13th in the league with 120.2 yards per game, and Juszczyk has contributed four touchdowns receiving and two rushing.

WR: Davante Adams (4th), DeAndre Hopkins (5th), DK Metcalf (1st), and Justin Jefferson (1st). Adams leads the NFL with 17 touchdowns and he is third with 1,328 yards. He also leads the league with 102.2 yards per game for the 12-3 Packers. Hopkins ranks second with 1,372 receiving yards, and this season is the sixth time he has reached the 1,000-yard mark. In his first year with the Cardinals, Hopkins has 103 receptions. Metcalf ranks sixth with 1,282 yards to go along with 80 catches and 10 touchdowns. The muscular second-year player has five 100-yard games for the Seahawks this season. Jefferson ranks eighth in the NFL with 1,267 yards. The 2020 first-round pick out of LSU has joined with Adam Thielen to create a formidable receiving tandem for Kirk Cousins and the Vikings.

TE: T.J. Hockenson (1st) and Evan Engram (1st). This has been a down year for tight ends in the NFC, with usual Pro Bowlers George Kittle and Zach Ertz spending considerable time on injured reserve, opening up the position to a pair of newcomers. Hockenson is second on the Lions behind Marvin Jones with 64 catches, 698 yards, and six touchdowns. Despite dropping nine passes and only posting one score this season, Engram leads the Giants with 61 receptions and ranks second with 637 yards.

Offensive Line: The tackles are David Bakhtiari (3rd), Trent Williams (8th), and Terron Armstead (3rd). The Packers are just ninth in passing yards and Bakhtiari protects Aaron Rodgers’ blindside. As a result, he has thrown just five interceptions. Williams was one of the best tackles in the NFL over the past decade, but he had a falling out with Washington after team doctors misdiagnosed a cancerous growth on his head. He was traded to San Francisco during the 2020 NFL Draft, and he has been a force for a 49ers passing offense that ranks 11th in the league despite starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo being injured for most of the year. Armstead has been protecting Drew Brees for eight years and, although Brees was injured this season, the Saints’ offense can still score in bunches.

The guards are Brandon Scherff (4th), Elgton Jenkins (1st), and Andrus Peat (3rd), and the centers are Jason Kelce (4th) and Frank Ragnow (1st). Although both Washington’s passing and rushing totals are in the bottom third of the league, Scherff has been a steady presence and has helped in the development of rookie running back Antonio Gibson. Jenkins is only in his second season, but he has become an integral part of a Packers running game that ranks seventh in the NFL. Peat joins Armstead as a star on a New Orleans offensive line that creates running lanes for Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray. The Saints are sixth in the league in rushing offense. The Kelce brothers will once again be on opposite sides in the Pro Bowl. Jason Kelce has been a stalwart on the Eagles’ offensive line for a decade. Philadelphia ranks ninth in rushing offense, and now Kelce gets to block for dynamic rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts. Ragnow is the center for a Lions’ passing offense that ranks seventh in the NFL with quarterback Matthew Stafford at the helm. The virtual Pro Bowl setting helps Ragnow, who might be missing significant time with a fractured throat.

NFC DEFENSE

DE: Cameron Jordan (6th), Brandon Graham (1st), and Chase Young (1st). Jordan has 7½ sacks this season and ranks second in Saints history 94½ over his 10-year career. His leadership and determination are a big reason why New Orleans is fourth in the NFL against the run and sixth in pass defense. Graham has 58 sacks in an 11-year career spent entirely with the Eagles. He had two tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble in a win over the Patriots in Super Bowl LII. While Graham had to wait more than a decade for his first Pro Bowl selection, Young earned the honor in his rookie season. The second overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft has 6½ sacks for a Washington defense that is third-best against the pass.

DT: Aaron Donald (7th), Fletcher Cox (6th), and Grady Jarrett (2nd). Donald is the most decorated defensive player of the past decade. He has made the Pro Bowl in each of his seven seasons, was the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2014, and earned back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2017-18. Donald is second with 13½ sacks this season, and he is second in franchise history with 85½. Thanks to his relentless pursuit of the ball, the Rams are the best in the NFL against the pass, allowing just 192 yards per game, and they rank third against the run. Cox has 6½ sacks in 2020 and 54½ in nine seasons. He made 11 tackles during the 2017 playoffs and had one stop in a Super Bowl LII victory. Jarrett has 25½ sacks in his six-year career, and he is part of a Falcons defense that is seventh against the run.

OLB: Za’Darius Smith (2nd), Khalil Mack (6th), and Jason Pierre-Paul (3rd). One half of the “Smith Brothers” along with Preston, Za’Darius is tied for fourth in the NFL with 12½ sacks this season and has 26 overall in two years with the Packers. Green Bay ranks eighth in the league against the pass and is the top seed in the NFC with a 12-3 record. Mack was a member of the All-Rookie Team in 2014 and has been a Pro Bowler every season since. The 2016 Defensive Player of the Year has eight sacks for a Bears team that is 8-7 and fighting for a playoff spot in the NFC. Pierre-Paul had 58½ sacks in his first eight seasons with the Giants and has 30½ in three campaigns with the Buccaneers, including a ninth-best 9½ in 2020. The converted defensive end is a veteran leader on a Tampa Bay team that is 10-5 and allows an NFL-low 77.5 rushing yards per game.

ILB: Bobby Wagner (7th) and Fred Warner (1st). Wagner is tied for seventh in the NFL with 132 tackles. He has made 1,207 stops overall, including 100 or more in each of his nine seasons and he has led the league twice. Warner is finally being recognized after posting at least 100 tackles for the third straight season (115 in 2020). He had 14 tackles in a Week 16 win against the Cardinals, including several key stops on Arizona’s final drive.

CB: Jalen Ramsey (4th), Jaire Alexander (1st), Marshon Lattimore (3rd), and James Bradberry (1st). Ramsey was a member of the All-Rookie Team with the Jaguars in 2016, and he has been selected to the Pro Bowler in each of the next four years. He has 39 tackles for a Rams defense that is the best in the league against the pass. Alexander was a 2018 All-Rookie Team member who has 48 tackles and 12 passes defensed for the Packers, who rank eighth in the NFL in passing defense. Lattimore was a Pro Bowler and the Defensive Rookie of the Year after picking off five passes in 2017. He has 62 tackles and the Saints rank sixth against the pass this season. After four years with the Panthers, Bradberry was selected to the Pro Bowl in his first season with the Giants. He has 50 tackles and 17 passes defense for a New York squad that ranks 11th in the NFL against the run.

Safeties: Qunadre Diggs (1st) is the free safety with Budda Baker (3rd) and Jamal Adams (3rd) on the strong side. Diggs ranks fourth in the NFL with five interceptions, and he also has 58 tackles and 10 passes defensed in his first full season with Seattle. He is an underrated star on a Seahawks defense that is fifth against the run. Baker went over 100 tackles for the third time in four years and he had his first two career interceptions in 2020. The 2017 All-Rookie Team member is a valuable starter on a Cardinals team that is one of the NFL’s top 10 against the pass. Adams has 80 tackles in his first season with the Seahawks, and he set a single-season NFL record for sacks by a defensive back with 9½ in 2020. The 2017 All-Rookie Team member had 12 sacks and 273 tackles in his first three seasons with the Jets.

NFC SPECIAL TEAMS

ST: Jack Fox (1st), Younghoe Koo (1st), Cordarrelle Patterson (4th), Nick Bellore (1st), and Tyler Ott (1st). Fox is a Lions rookie who ranks second behind Jake Bailey with a 46.1-yard net average and third in gross average at 49.1. Koo leads the NFL with 35 field goals and he ranks third with 135 points for the Falcons in 2020. Patterson has led the NFL in kick return yards in each of the past two seasons with the Bears, 825 in 2019 and 964 so far this year. He had two 1,000-yard seasons with the Vikings (2013 and ’16), and he was a member of the Patriots when they beat the Rams in Super Bowl LIII. Bellore began his career by playing four years with the Jets, then two each with the 49ers and Lions before playing the past two with the Seahawks. He has 201 tackles in 10 seasons, including 83 as a starting linebacker with San Francisco in 2016. Ott has been Seattle’s long snapper for each of the past four seasons. An undrafted graduate of Harvard, he has also appeared in five playoff games with the Seahawks.

PRO BOWL SNUBS

As with any other selection process, great players were left out of the Pro Bowl. Among the players who were snubbed include quarterback Tom Brady, who ranks fourth with both 4,234 yards and 36 touchdowns in his first season with the Buccaneers after spending the past 20 with the Patriots. Other passers who merit consideration include Justin Herbert, who recently set the NFL rookie record with 28 touchdowns for the Chargers, and Ryan Tannehill, who has 32 scoring passes and just seven interceptions with the Titans. Jaguars rookie James Robinson ranks third in the league with 1,070 rushing yards to go along with seven touchdowns. Calvin Ridley has nine scores and is fourth in the NFL with 1,322 receiving yards for the Falcons, and tight end Robert Tonyan ranks second with 50 catches and 10 touchdowns for the NFC-leading Packers. Wyatt Teller joins with Joel Bitonio in Cleveland to form arguably the best starting guard tandem in the league.

On the defensive side of the ball, Saints defensive end Trey Hendrickson is tied for fourth in the NFL with 12½ sacks and nose tackle Quinnen Williams has seven sacks and 55 tackles in his second year with the Jets. Among linebackers, one of the biggest snubs is Shaquil Barrett, who went from a league-leading 19½ sacks with the Buccaneers last year to eight in 2020. His teammate, Devin White, was edged out by Fred Warner in the overall voting. White is tied for fourth in the NFL with 140 tackles, and he also has nine sacks for Tampa Bay. Zach Cunningham ranks second in the league with 151 with the Texans. In the secondary, J.C. Jackson has originally left off the Pro Bowl ballot entirely, despite leading the league in interceptions in late November. He now ranks second with eight for the Patriots. Finally, Jordan Poyer has 117 tackles, 14 passes defensed, and two interceptions for the Bills.

Writer

- By: Kevin Rakas