Fan voting for the 2020 Pro Bowl is already underway and concludes on Thursday, Dec. 12. You can vote for the best-of-the-best in the NFL as many times as you please over at NFL.com/ProBowlVote. Rosters will be revealed on Tuesday, Dec. 17 live on a special NFL Network show. The 2020 Pro Bowl will take place on Sunday, January 26 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida a week ahead of Super Bowl LIV.
There are plenty of Chiefs players deserving of being selected for the first Pro Bowl of their career. Some of these players have been vying for a Pro Bowl selection for several years now, while others look to be rising stars in the NFL game. Below you’ll find four Chiefs players that should be selected for the first time in 2020:
RT Mitchell Schwartz
There’s perhaps no member of the Chiefs more deserving of a trip to the Pro Bowl than veteran right tackle Mitchell Schwartz. He was deserving last season but only received the nod as an alternate. The injuries along the offensive line for Kansas City this season have only magnified how great Schwartz is.
Schwartz has yet to allow a sack on the season and has only had two penalties called on him. His dominance in pass protection isn’t his only asset, though, Schwartz is also a force in the ground game. Some of the best runs of the season in Kansas City have been sprung by Schwartz. Just look to the blocking he did on the 91-yard touchdown run from RB Damien Williams in Week 9.
Before suffering an injury in Week 10, Schwartz had a snap streak of 7,894, spanning the course of seven-and-a-half NFL seasons. He’d never missed a snap in his entire career. Schwartz returned to the game three plays later, proving once again that he’s indestructible and one of the most impressive offensive linemen in football today.
WR Mecole Hardman
Who would have thought that the Chiefs would have been able to snag one of the most impressive rookies in the NFL this season at pick No. 56 in the 2019 NFL draft? Mecole Hardman has earned the nickname “Jet” after showcasing his impressive speed on a weekly basis.
If you doubt Hardman’s speed, he has two of the top-10 fastest speeds by a ball carrier in 2019. According to NFL’s Next Gen Stats, Hardman leads the NFL in average separation with 4.5 yards. That means that the nearest defender is 4.5 yards from Hardman on average when he makes a catch or incompletion.
Through 10 games to start the season, Hardman has 21 catches, 437 yards and five touchdowns. That’s good for the fourth-most receiving yardage by a rookie this season trailing only D.K. Metcalf, Terry McLaurin and A.J. Brown. He’s currently tied with Metcalf and McLaurin for the most touchdowns by a rookie receiver with five.
DT Chris Jones
Chris Jones, like his offensive counterpart Mitchell Schwartz, deserved to be selected to the Pro Bowl last season. He was also selected as a Pro Bowl alternate after he finished the season with 15.5 sacks. He had 11-straight games with a sack, breaking the NFL record previously held by Simon Fletcher and Demarcus Ware.
While his 2019 performance hasn’t been nearly as dominant from a statistical perspective, it still warrants heavy consideration for the Pro Bowl. Jones is borderline unblockable at times and the disruption he causes can completely change the outcome of a game. He’s been asked to do more amid injuries along the defensive line, even playing defensive end more frequently for Kansas City this season.
Jones has only started in six games this season due to injury, as he missed several games with a groin strain. Despite the lack of playtime, he’s still accumulated five sacks on the season and 11 QB hits, showing off his dominance when it comes to getting after opposing passers.
CB Charvarius Ward
Charvarius Ward is currently playing the best football of his young career. He gained some traction late in the 2018 season with the Chiefs. He almost was the hero that sent the Chiefs to the Super Bowl that season, if it wasn’t for a Dee Ford penalty, of course.
In coverage in 2019, Ward has been playing like one of the best corners in the league. He’s locating the football better and playing with better leverage in man coverage situations. Look at his performances against some of the best receivers in the league, like Stefon Diggs for instance, and you’ll notice how much he’s improved from his rookie campaign in 2018.
Ward currently leads the Chiefs defenders in both passes defended (6) and interceptions (2). His willingness to come up and support in run defense also shouldn’t go unnoticed. He’s really a great form tackler and knows how to use his length to his advantage. As of today, Ward currently leads all NFL corners in tackles with 53.
