When you’re one of the best teams in the NFL, you typically dominate the Pro Bowl roster and that was the case with the Philadelphia Eagles. Six Eagles were named to the Pro Bowl on Thursday afternoon, tied for the second-most of any team along with the Minnesota Vikings. The Baltimore Ravens lead the way with nine players and to be quite frank, the Eagles had some snubs that should’ve brought their total number closer to the Ravens.
The Six Eagles Soaring to Pro Bowl
Nonetheless, it’s a fantastic showing for the Eagles who will be headlined by Saquon Barkley, fresh off becoming just the ninth running back in the history of the NFL to rush for 2,000 yards. Three of the starting offensive linemen to help pave the way for the historic season for Barkley also were tabbed Pro Bowlers in Lane Johnson for his sixth honor, Landon Dickerson who’s been named a Pro Bowler in each of his last three seasons and Cam Jurgens gets his first nod a season removed from replacing future Hall of Famer Jason Kelce.
Defensively, the Cinderella story continues for linebacker Zack Baun who earns his first nod after becoming a star at linebacker for the Eagles after not being a household name and a special teams, hybrid player for the Saints. He has proven to be a fantastic signing by Howie Roseman and has positioned himself for quite the pay day when the time comes. Joining Baun is Jalen Carter, who took a big step forward in his second season as a pro was an easy choice at defensive tackle.
How about a hat tip to the young guys in Jurgens and Carter. They were drafted to replace Kelce and Fletcher Cox, respectively, and they have done so in quite a way. There has not been a significant drop off in play from the two and they only should continue to improve.
Snubs
Most notably, the biggest snub is left tackle Jordan Mailata not making it. The Pro Bowl has certainly lost its luster over the years, but it’s still a traditional honor in the sport that still carries some weight. Mailata getting snubbed definitely is an oversight. Mailata, along with Johnson are the top two left and right tackles in the game and it’s not close. Check out this graph that shows where the duo rank in terms of being left on an island, meaning they are one-on-one with a defender with no help from a tight end or running back. He’s also allowed just one sack on 383 pass blocking attempts this season.
Pretty impressive.
Also, rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell was arguably the best at the position for the majority of the season and certainly has a legit argument to have been named to the Pro Bowl. He is named a first alternate along with Mailata, A.J. Brown and Josh Sweat. Jalen Hurts was named a second alternate.
Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images
