The Philadelphia Eagles are sending two players to this years’ Pro Bowl, but it arguably should’ve been more. Here are five players who were snubbed and a quick look into potential reasons why.
Lane Johnson
I don’t think Johnson was snubbed from the Pro Bowl because of his play. In 704 snaps he’s not allowed a single sack and has a PFF grade of 81. In fact, he’s only allowed 11 pressures in that time and 1 QB hit. You can absolutely make the case that Johnson is the NFL’s best tackle at this point. At the very least, he has to be in the conversation.
With that said, he missed three games earlier in the season while he dealt with mental health issues and also missed week 14 due to a minor injury. It really sucks that despite facing something so delicate and being so open about it afterwards while performing at his highest level, the NFL are basically saying that the best kind of ability is availability and using the fact that he missed time as a potential reason why he’s missing from the Pro Bowl roster.
There’s no other reason I can think of as to why Johnson would be absent from the NFC team. Yes, he’s missed four of the fifteen games played so far, but he’s played the remaining 11 so freakishly well that it more than makes up for it. It’s a real shame that Johnson’s stellar play hasn’t been recognized in the way it deserves.
Jordan Mailata
He could be a couple of years from waltzing into a Pro Bowl spot with ease for the time being, but Mailata actually has a stronger PFF grade than Lane Johnson (86.8). The Aussie has been a bulldozer all season long and a huge reason behind the sharp rise in his teams’ rushing success.
Mailata has come on leaps and bounds in pass-protection and is far more aware when it comes to picking up assignments at the second level when run blocking. Maybe it’s due to the fact that he’s still technically the new kid on the block and is underrated by many. Whatever the reason, Mailata’s form this year has been nothing short of stunning and he’s more than lived up to his recent payday.
Javon Hargrave
One would assume that a player who ties 8th in sacks and QB hits while amassing 46 QB pressures and possessing the NFL’s third-highest pass-rush grade (90.8) would naturally appear in the Pro Bowl. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case.
Jimmy Kempski compared Hargrave’s impressive 2021 campaign to that of Pro bowler Kenny Clark and the results were heartbreaking.
I know which player I’d rather have…
The Grave Digger has had a huge season in Philadelphia but did have a pretty quiet second quarter of the year which may be why he fell under the radar. But while his production may be overlooked elsewhere, it’s highly appreciated by the fans in Philly.
Dallas Goedert
Considering that he spent the opening portion of the season working as a TE2 behind Zach Ertz, the fact that Goedert has 731 yards to his name is impressive. He may only have 5 touchdowns in comparison to some of the bigger names in the NFL, but ranks second in the league at his position in yards per reception, once again flaunting his scary YAC potential.
Since being promoted to TE1, Goedert has racked up 515 yards and 2 scores in 8 games. That means there were five games beforehand where he was used as TE2 and his stats were predictably lower. He’d be looking at a 16 game average of 1,030 yards if we were just take his TE1 numbers, which is absolutely Pro Bowl level.
This may be the last year that Dallas Goedert goes without being named a Pro Bowl honoree.
Avonte Maddox
Kenny Moore might pip Maddox to the post as the NFL’s top slot corner, but the Pitt product can’t be far behind. He’s been lights-out as far as coverage is concerned and has played his way to a shiny new contract.
How many times has Maddox come up with a huge pass defense, or a big-time tackle, or completely blanketed an option over the middle? If you can’t think of many, it’s either because you haven’t been watching, or because he’s been so sound as a corner that you haven’t even had to look his way.
Maddox should’ve been named to a Pro Bowl this year. He man’s up bigger slot receivers and deals with twitchy ones. He sets the edge when playing the run and competes on every snap. The man has been nothing short of spectacular this season.
Jake Elliott
Jake Elliott is yet to miss an extra point. He’s 24/26 on field goal attempts including a perfect 3/3 from 50+ yards.
Matt Gay, the Rams kicker who was elected to the Pro Bowl, has only missed one extra point and one field goal attempt all year and has had more tries, so it’s at least fair to see why he was selected over Elliott.
This snub isn’t as blatant as some of the others, but it does help you appreciate just how well Elliott is playing.
Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire
