Three Bears Second-Team All-Pros
The Bears failed to land a spot on the All-Pro first team, although linebacker Roquan Smith, edge rusher Robert Quinn and return man Jakeem Grant did make the second team.
It all seems to make sense, although plenty of Bears fans will pout again about Roquan Smith not making the first team. However, making first or second team on the All-Pro team is a huge honor, since it's not broken down into conferences. It's simply the best at the position for the league.
The All-Pro team, voted on by the Associated Press, has been named since the 1940s. Other outlets or organizations have All-Pro teams like the Pro Football Writers Association or Pro Football Focus, but these are not recognized as the official All-Pro team.
Smith made the first team last year, and there will be much debate over whether he was slighted this time with second-team status.
While Smith's tackle totals were up this year over last year and he actually set an unofficial team record with 163 total, the impact of his play was down overall from last season. Smith, who was fifth in the league in total tackles, had 12 tackles for loss after making 18 last season, and had 27 more assists on tackles than he had last season. Smith also had one less sack than he had in 2020, when he made four. He finished fourth in solo tackles this season with 85 and was second last year in this category to Avery Williamson with 96.
The 2021 stats all came with 17 games played this year as opposed to 16 last year.
The three linebackers named All-Pro were Darius Leonard of the Colts, De'Vondre Campbell of the Packers and Micah Parsons of the Cowboys.
Parsons is a rookie who was used more as a pass rusher and had 13 sacks, although he also had 79 fewer tackles (84) than Smith did. He also had three forced fumbles. Parsons received the highest grade of all linebackers in the NFL this year from Pro Football Focus. Smith was ranked 62nd.
Campbell made fewer tackles than Smith, as well. He had 146. But he also had two interceptions, one more than Smith, and forced two fumbles while defending five passes. Smith had two pass defenses and did not force a fumble.
Pittsburgh's T.J. Watt and Cleveland's Myles Garrett made first team as edge rushers ahead of Quinn, who set the Bears record for sacks in a season with 18 1/2.
Baltimore's Devin Duvernay made All-Pro first team as punt returner ahead of Grant. Duvernay led the NFL in return average for players who had at least 16 returns on the season, with 13.8 yards per return. Grant had one of only two punt return touchdowns this season in the league and averaged 11.9 yards a return.
Duvernay and Watt were both unanimous selections to the All-Pro team and there were only five of those total. Wide receivers Cooper Kupp of the Rams and Davante Adams of the Packers and Colts running back Jonathan Taylor were the other ones.
All-Pro
First Team Offense
QB Aaron Rodgers, Packers
RB Jonathan Taylor, Colts
TE Mark Andrews, Ravens
WR Davante Adams, Packers
WR Cooper Kupp, Rams
WR Deebo Samuel, 49ers
LT Trent Williams, 49ers
RT Tristan Wirfs, Buccaneers
LB Joel Bitonio, Browns
RG Zack Martin, Cowboys
C Jason Kelce, Eagles
First Team Defense
EDGE T.J. Watt, Steelers
EDGE Myles Garrett, Browns
DL Aaron Donald, Rams
DL Cameron Heyward, Steelers
LB Darius Leonard, Colts
LB Micah Parsons, Cowboys
LB De'Vondre Campbell, Packers
CB Trevon Diggs, Cowboys
CB Jalen Ramsey, Rams
S Kevin Byard, Titans
S Jordan Poyer, Bills
First Team Special Teams
PK Justin Tucker, Ravens
P A.J. Cole, Raiders
KR Braxton Berrios, Jets
PR Devin Duvernay, Ravens
ST J.T. Gray, Saints
LS Luke Rhodes, Colts
Second Team Offense
QB Tom Brady, Buccaneers
RB None
TE Travis Kelce, Chiefs
WR Justin Jefferson, Vikings
WR Ja'Marr Chase, Bengals
LT Rashawn Slater, Chargers
RT Lane Johnson, Eagles
LG Quenton Nelson, Colts
RG Wyatt Teller, Browns
C Corey Linsley, Chargers
Second Team Defense
EDGE Robert Quinn, Bears
EDGE Maxx Crosby, Raiders
DL Chris Jones, Chiefs
DL Jeffery Simmons, Titans
LB Demario Davis, Saints
LB Roquan Smith, Bears
LB Bobby Wagner, Seahawks
CB J.C. Jackson, Patriots
CB A.J. Terrell, Falcons
S (Tie) Justin Simmons, Broncos/Micah Hyde, Bills/Budda Baker, Cardinals
Second Team Special Teams
PK Daniel Carlson, Raiders
P Bryan Anger, Cowboys
KR Andre Roberts, Chargers
PR Jakeem Grant, Bears
ST (Tie) Matthew Slater, Patriots/Ashton Dulin, Colts
LS Josh Harris, Falcons
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