Hey Now, You're All-Star (Leaders): 2 Cowboys Get Big Pro Bowl Votes
Turning down a free trip to Las Vegas would be foolhardy in almost every context, but a pair of Dallas Cowboys have a loftier purpose.
In the first Pro Bowl Games fan vote tallies unveiled this week, Zack Martin and Micah Parsons were among the leading NFC candidates for invites to the upcoming all-star skills competition set to be held in Las Vegas this February. Parsons (63,612 votes) is one of two linebackers in the lead alongside Seattle's Jordyn Brooks while Martin leads all conference guards (24,682).
It's no surprise to see the surging Cowboys (8-3), who have amassed a following of both fervent supporters and detractors, well-represented among the NFL's early all-star returns: Parsons, a sophomore first-round choice from 2021, is headlining a stellar defensive effort that is warranting fringe consideration for the league's MVP award. He has already earned a dozen sacks, one short of his rookie tally, and will likely stick around the Defensive Player of the Year discussion after winning it as a freshman.
Martin's dominance at guard is nothing new, as he has earned seven previous Pro Bowl invites. He'll look to start another streak of all-star appearances after he was left out of the 2020 festivities due to injury.
Dallas, of course, has another Bowl on the horizon, seeking to reach its first Super Bowl since 1996. The lack of championship appearances has often led to the Pro Bowl activities being dominated by starred helmets, especially since the game's shift to the week off between conference championship games and the Super Bowl. Last year's postseason disappointment, for example, yielded six Cowboys in the final traditional NFL all-star game after they fell to San Francisco in the Wild Card round.
Complaints of declining quality led the NFL to move on from the traditional 11-on-11 Pro Bowl game, which led the league to instead produce a series of skills competitions that will take up the week preceding the Big Game. The events will culminate in a loose flag football contest on Feb. 5. To date, Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson is the leading candidate, having amassed 90,313 votes. Voting will close on Dec. 15 with full rosters revealed a week later.
Martin and Parsons will have a chance to prove their all-star worth on Sunday night, when the Cowboys battle the Indianapolis Colts in prime time (7:20 p.m. CT, NBC).
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