Every year, NFL fans make their picks who Pro Bowl players. And every year, inevitability, some players are snubbed from the selection.
The Texans will send one player to the Pro Bowl outright: offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil. It’s his second consecutive Pro Bowl selection and fourth of his career.
Six players were also named as alternates, meaning they could be called up if another player at their respective position opts out of the games due to injury or because they’re playing in the Super Bowl.
But even still, here are six Texans who were snubbed from the Pro Bowl this year.
QB C.J. Stroud
Stroud probably will not finish with better stats or a better team record than the the two AFC starts – Tua Tagovailoa and Lamar Jackson – but there’s a chance he could have if he didn’t miss two games with a concussion. The rookie trails Jackson by just 200 passing yards and three touchdowns and trails Mahomes by about 300 passing yards and six touchdowns. His five interceptions are also the fewest among quarterbacks with at least 200 passing attempts and 14 starts this season.
DE Will Anderson Jr.
Anderson ranks tied for 42nd in sacks with 7.0, but his efficiency is on the same level as Defensive Player of the Year candidates T.J. Watt, Micah Parsons and Myles Garrett. The rookie defensive end has a pass-rush win rate of 26 percent – which is tied for third with Watt behind Parsons and Garrett. Depending on which position Anderson advertised as, he had a claim to getting the nod over some of the outside linebackers who moonlight as pass rushers.
DE Jonathan Greenard
Greenard has been a revelation for Houston this season. His 12.5 sacks lead the team and are tied for 10th-most in the NFL with Chicago Bears defense end Montez Sweat, who was named to the NFC Pro Bowl. His pass-rush win rate is tied for seventh among all edge rushers this year, per ESPN, while his run stop win rate ranks first among edge rushers.
WR Nico Collins
Collins broke out in his third NFL season with the Texans after he recorded his first 1,000-yard season as a receiver. He ranks 15th in receiving yards at the moment, but his yards per target rank fourth among wideouts. Collins is also one of the best receivers against man coverage this year. However, it would have been hard to send Collins to the Pro Bowl over any of Tyreek Hill, Ja’Marr Chase, Keenan Allen or Amari Cooper.
CB Derek Stingley Jr.
Stingley is having another top-flight season is just his second year in the league. His five interceptions are tied for second in the AFC and tied for fourth in the NFL, and he’s allowed the second-lowest quarterback rating among cornerbacks who’ve seen at least 40 targets.
OG Shaq Mason
Mason has been another solid anchor to the Texans offensive line with Tunsil. He hasn’t allowed a sack or quarterback hit since Week 13, according to Pro Football Focus, and has given up just three total sacks this season.
