The Pro Bowl is nothing but a popularity contest for fans and analysts. But for the players, it could mean another fat direct deposit hitting their bank account. So while Pro Bowl snubs might be something we shake off even through a blinding amount of fandom, there can be real disappointment from players. Tua Tagovailoa and Christian McCaffrey were just two of the names surprisingly left off the list.
Biggest 2023 Pro Bowl Snubs
First, congratulations are in order for those who did make the Pro Bowl in 2023. It’s quite an accomplishment to be among the league’s most popular players.
However, not every player deserved a nod based on merit. A few players making each conference’s rosters haven’t exactly had the best seasons.
MORE: Full 2023 Pro Bowl Rosters
But sometimes, there is simply too much star power to overcome. That is what happened with our first entrant.
Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Miami Dolphins
It’s not often we go out of the way to provide less context, but the folks voting on the Pro Bowl aren’t necessarily interested in the latest and greatest efficiency metrics.
Tua ranks fifth in the AFC in yards per game with 269.8. He ranks first in the league in yards per attempt, touchdown rate, and the lowest INT rate in the AFC.
Miami’s passing attack was the eighth wonder of the world for a while, and it is still among the best in the NFL. Although Tua received the highest fan vote in the league, the Pro Bowl is a combination of fan, player, and coach voting. When Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Joe Burrow are the competition, it takes a Herculean effort to overcome them.
Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
In seven games with San Francisco, McCaffrey has scored seven touchdowns and has a 17-game pace of over 1,800 all-purpose yards.
But most importantly, San Francisco has gone from the 25th-ranked rushing offense in EPA before his arrival to 10th since his arrival.
From a popularity perspective, it’s shocking not to see him on the list, especially over Miles Sanders, who doesn’t even get the most credit for the Eagles’ own rushing attack being successful. But Sanders, Tony Pollard, and Saquon Barkley are all outstanding players, and while the 49ers fanbase travels as well as any, Dallas, Philadelphia, and New York have numbers on their side.
James Bradberry, CB, Philadelphia Eagles
Maybe there was some voter fatigue in Philadelphia. Darius Slay is the bigger name of the dynamic cornerback duo in Philly, but James Bradberry has had the better season.
Shoutout to Howie Roseman for being more intelligent than any GM in the league. The Giants hilariously cut Bradberry before the season, and Roseman was there to capitalize on that error.
Only Sauce Gardner has allowed a lower reception rate among cornerbacks with at least 300 coverage snaps, and only five players allow fewer yards per reception.
Jaire Alexander is an outstanding player, but he would be the clear choice for Bradberry to replace, given his lackluster performance in 2022.
Javon Hargrave, DT, Philadelphia Eagles
Hargrave’s snub is a product of reputation and talent at the position in the NFL. Aaron Donald is not missing the Pro Bowl, even if, based on production, he’d be the man to replace from the NFC.
Dexter Lawrence is locked in. To make the impact he’s making as a pass rusher at 340 pounds is absurd. So that leaves us Jonathan Allen to ponder replacing.
Hargrave has more pressures and sacks on fewer snaps this season. But Allen is the better run defender, and it’s not particularly close. Additionally, the supporting cast of each player makes a difference.
Playing next to Daron Payne and with Montez Sweat undoubtedly helps Jonathan Allen. But he is the best player on that defensive line. Hargrave must contend with Haason Reddick, a Pro Bowler this season.
L’Jarius Sneed, CB, Kansas City Chiefs
Maybe L’Jarius Sneed was snubbed because he plays primarily in the slot, or maybe it’s because he plays on a completely underwhelming defensive unit in Kansas City. Either way, it’s the wrong decision by the voters.
Xavien Howard is a good football player and one of the best ball hawks of this generation, but he hasn’t even been the Dolphins’ best CB in 2022, and Byron Jones hasn’t played a snap for Miami. No, that’s actually been undrafted rookie Kader Kohou.
Sneed is one of the fastest cornerbacks in the league. But on top of being an outstanding coverage player, he’s racked up 11 more pressures than any other cornerback in the NFL and has four more defensive stops than the next closest. And while his reception rate is unimpressive, he’s allowing the third-lowest yards per reception rate in the league.
Alex Highsmith, OLB, Pittsburgh Steelers
It would have meant supplanting the Steelers’ diety, T.J. Watt, but Alex Highsmith deserved a Pro Bowl nod for what he’s done in a year that saw Watt absent for a large portion.
Highsmith is the only player with 11 sacks to be snubbed. Mack has just 7, and Watt has 4. Highsmith has played a ton of snaps on the Steelers’ defense this season, yet somehow remained a productive pass rusher and a plus run defender.
That’s an incredible feat of stamina for a 240-pound edge defender!