• Josh Allen should be on the roster: The Bills quarterback has produced a much higher big-time throw rate than Patrick Mahomes.
• Derrick Brown snubbed: The former first-round draft pick has outgraded Javon Hargrave and outperformed him against the run.
• Antoine Winfield Jr. has a case to make: The Buccaneers safety has dominated close to the line of scrimmage this season.
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Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Pro Bowl rosters always garner a lot of attention, with fan bases across the league feeling aggrieved when their favorite players don’t make the cut.
While there are cases to make for lots of players, we’ve picked what we feel are the five biggest snubs for the 2023 season.
QB Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
The top of the quarterback position in the AFC is loaded, but Allen's ommision still feels like a considerable snub, given the season he has had.
It may seem sacrilegious to suggest it, but he should probably have the spot occupied by Patrick Mahomes, given their play this season. Allen has produced a 5.8% big-time throw rate compared to Mahomes’ 4.0%, while his 2.8% turnover-worthy play rate betters Mahomes' by 0.1%.
G Kevin Dotson, Los Angeles Rams
Dotson has taken a huge step forward in his fourth season in the NFL and his first with the Rams. His 84.8 PFF grade is the second-highest at the position, while his 88.4 PFF run-blocking grade ranks third. His 68.7 PFF pass-blocking grade is tied for 17th, with Dotson allowing 20 total pressures from 504 pass-blocking snaps.
All three guards who made the team over him (Chris Lindstrom, Zack Martin and Landon Dickerson) were better in pass protection, but only Lindstrom bettered Dotson in both overall grade and run-blocking grade.
DI Derrick Brown, Carolina Panthers
It’s not been a great season for many in Carolina, but Brown is absolutely deserving of a spot on the NFC Pro Bowl roster. His 89.7 PFF grade is the fourth-best at the position and third-best in the conference.
Javon Hargrave hasn’t had a bad season for the San Francisco 49ers, but Brown has bettered him in overall PFF grade and total defensive stops, though Hargrave has been the better pass-rusher of the two.
S Jevon Holland, Miami Dolphins
Holland has been one of the best safeties in football this season, and while it would be hard to argue for him to get a spot here over Kyle Hamilton, he has had a better season than both Justin Simmons and Minkah Fitzpatrick. Holland has earned an 89.8 PFF coverage grade this season, well ahead of Fitzpatrick’s 66.6 and Simmons’ 65.4.
S Antoine Winfield Jr., Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Safety is also contentious in the NFC, where Winfield can feel particularly aggrieved about not making the roster. In what has been his best season in the NFL to date, the 2020 second-round draft pick leads all safeties with a 92.6 run-defense grade and 92.7 pass-rush grade while ranking fourth in coverage grade at 80.8.
Budda Baker, who has been much more deserving in previous years, hasn’t really come close to Winfield’s impact in any aspect of their play this season.
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