The Eagle’s Cry Sports AFC Pro Bowl Roster Selections

Brett Jassey, Sports Editor|December 8, 2022

Although over the offseason, the NFL decided to scrap the actual Pro Bowl game, the honor of being selected to a Pro Bowl still exists for the best football players in the world. As the fan voting period has begun for the 2023 Pro Bowl, I’m going to explain who would be my picks as a neutral voter, and in this article, I will evaluate my picks for the AFC. The starter(s) at each position will be italicized.

To start off the offense, the playcallers at QB…

Quarterback (3 selections):

Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City

Josh Allen, Buffalo

Joe Burrow, Cincinnati

Mahomes, the frontrunner for the NFL’s MVP award, leads the quarterback position in total yards and touchdowns by a longshot and has led the Chiefs to the front of the AFC. He, and Josh Allen, are obvious picks as Pro Bowlers. The third spot narrowly went to Joe Burrow, over Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert, and Tua Tagovailoa.

Runningback (3 selections):

Nick Chubb, Cleveland

Derrick Henry, Tennessee

Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas

You could argue any of the three as the AFC’s starting back. All are great players and locks for the Pro Bowl. I sided with Chubb here. There are so many good AFC runningbacks, so guys like Joe Mixon and Austin Ekeler, among others, were left out.

Fullback (1 selection):

Alec Ingold, Miami

Ingold has a few touchdowns on the year and a solid amount of yards. He can get the Pro Bowl nod from me in his first season in Miami.

Wide Receiver (4 selections):

Tyreek Hill, Miami

Stefon Diggs, Buffalo

Davante Adams, Las Vegas

Jaylen Waddle, Miami

Tyreek Hill is having an all-time great receiving season, and Stefon Diggs is a beast too. Adams and Waddle round out the positions, ahead of Ja’Marr Chase, Christian Kirk and Amari Cooper.

Tight End (2 selections):

Travis Kelce, Kansas City

Mark Andrews, Baltimore

This is the easiest pick so far. Travis Kelce, the greatest tight end ever, is bounds ahead of any other competitors at tight end. Andrews missed a few games with injury, but is still ahead of David Njoku and others for that second tight end spot.

Offensive Tackle (3 selections):

Terron Armstead, Miami

Jack Conklin, Cleveland

Dion Dawkins, Buffalo

Armstead has made an immediate impact in his first season as a Dolphin, while Conklin and Dawkins have continued to hold down the fort at their respective positions.

Offensive Guard (3 selections):

Joe Thuney, Kansas City

Michael Onwenu, New England

Laken Tomlinson, New York A

Thuney has been a longtime anchor in the AFC at left guard, while Onwenu and Tomlinson have had strong years as up-and-comers to round out the position.

Center (2 selections):

Creed Humphrey, Kansas City

Corey Linsley, Los Angeles A

Humphrey has quickly established himself as one of the best centers in the game as a sophomore in the NFL, while Linsley has been great for a while.

And now the defensive side of the ball…

Defensive End (3 selections):

Myles Garrett, Cleveland

Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas

DeNico Autry, Tennessee

Another position full of animals Garrett and Crosby have dominated, just as they did last year (last year’s Pro-Bowl starters). My last spot went to DeNico Autry, who has really shown out this year and I felt deserved some credit. He took the spot from Trey Hendrickson.

Defensive Tackle (3 selections):

Chris Jones, Kansas City

Quinnen Williams, New York A

Jeffrey Simmons, Tennessee

Another position that is stacked. These three guys are showing what the new type of defense tackle looks like: big, strong, and fast. These guys get to the quarterback. So does Deforest Buckner, but he just misses the cut.

Outside Linebackers (3 selections):

Matthew Judon, New England

Von Miller, Buffalo

Khalil Mack, Los Angeles A

Judon leads the NFL in sacks, so he is a lock. Von Miller has been amazing in his first season for Buffalo, and super clutch. The third spot goes to Khalil Mack, who has been a beast off the edge for years. Alex Highsmith of Pittsburgh is an honorable mention.

Inside Linebackers (2 selections):

Zaire Franklin, Indianapolis

Nick Bolton, Kansas City

Franklin and Bolton have both become great young leaders in the middle for their teams, racking up tackles galore. Foyesade Oluokun and Bobby Okereke just missed out on that second spot.

Cornerbacks (4 selections):

Pat Surtain II, Denver

Ahmad ‘Sauce’ Gardner, New York A

L’Jarius Sneed, Kansas City

Chidobe Awuzie, Cincinnati

Pat Surtain II has been such a great corner for Denver. Completely shuts down his opponent all game long. As does rookie, Sauce Gardner, one of three starting rookies I’ve picked. Sneed is a stat sheet stuffer for KC. He has the most tackles and sacks of any corner. And Awuzie has been a shutdown corner in Cincy.

Strong Safety (1 selection):

Derwin James Jr., Los Angeles A

If you watch Derwin James play, he is like a machine. He’ll tackle a big tight end, sack the quarterback, or cover a speedy receiver. He does it all with ease for the Chargers.

Free Safeties (2 selections):

Jessie Bates III, Cincinnati

Kevin Byard, Tennessee

Usually only free safety is picked, but I couldn’t leave either of these guys off of my roster. Either could start easily at this position, but I went with Bates. Two amazing leaders for their respective defenses.

Kicker (1 selection):

Daniel Carlson, Las Vegas

To put it simply, Daniel Carlson is amazing. He hasn’t missed a field goal yet, including a perfect 5/5 from beyond 50 yards. The greatest kicker ever, Justin Tucker, was closely behind him.

Punter (1 selection):

Ryan Stonehouse, Tennessee

The rookie punter for Tennessee has been named Special Teams Player of the Week numerous times so far, and punts the ball well for the Titans, or so I’ve heard.

Long Snapper (1 selection):

James Winchester, Kansas City

As a long snapper connoisseur, I can tell you when I’ve seen a good long snapper. And Chiefs LS James Winchester is a pioneer at his position (I only picked him because he is a Chief).

Return Specialist (1 selection):

Marcus Jones, New England

Jones has had an impressive season, most notably his 80+ yard punt return touchdown to walk-off the Jets in Week 11. Isiah Pacheco would’ve had this spot if not for Jones’ TD.

Special Teamer (1 selection):

E.J. Speed, Indianapolis

E.J. Speed is a ‘special teams ace’, who I’m pretty sure scored a few blocked punts last year. So this year, that is enough for my selection.

Total Player Tally by Team:

Kansas City: 8

Tennessee: 5

Buffalo: 4

Miami: 4

Las Vegas: 4

New England: 3

New York A: 3

Cleveland: 3