The AFC had to dig fairly deep into its stable of quarterbacks for a second Pro Bowl replacement, but it found one in Indianapolis Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew II. The journeyman signal caller may seem like an unlikely selection, but a dearth of other options made him perhaps the most qualified remaining candidate.
Gardner Minshew II Named Pro Bowl Replacement
Tua Tagovailoa is set to be the AFC’s starting quarterback for the Pro Bowl, and deservedly so. The fourth-year QB amassed 4,624 passing yards, 29 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions throughout a strong regular season, helping the Miami Dolphins to an 11-6 record and playoff berth.
Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson were initially named the other two quarterbacks for the AFC team, but Mahomes is out due to playing in the Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs, and it appears Jackson will not participate either after the Baltimore Ravens’ AFC Championship Game defeat at the hands of the Chiefs.
Beyond those two, Joe Burrow is still on the mend from a season-ending injury, as is Justin Herbert. Trevor Lawrence also dealt with some injury issues late in the season, while Josh Allen is set to compete at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud was already tabbed as one replacement after a standout rookie season that saw him throw for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns, and five interceptions across 15 starts.
That left Minshew as one of the best remaining options, and he certainly put up some solid numbers for the Colts.
The fifth-year quarterback played a key role for this third NFL franchise this past season, appearing in all 17 games with 13 starts as Anthony Richardson was sidelined for much of the year due to injury. Minshew completed 62.2% of his pass attempts for a career-high 3,305 yards, 15 touchdowns, and nine interceptions on the year, adding 100 rushing yards for three scores.
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Indianapolis went 7-6 in his 13 starts and ultimately missed out on the playoffs following some late struggles, losing two of its last three games, including a win-and-in finale against Houston.
The only other player with much of a case is the Denver Broncos’ Russell Wilson. He threw for 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns, and eight interceptions alongside running for 341 yards and three scores across 15 starts on the year.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco is another who may have garnered some consideration for his heroics late in the season, but a lack of games played certainly worked against him. Flacco threw for 1,616 yards, 13 touchdowns, and eight interceptions across five regular season appearances, all starts, as he led the Browns to a 4-1 record.
With all of those factors weighed the league’s decision to name Minshew as a replacement at quarterback makes much more sense with a clear lack of better options in the AFC.
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