Projecting the Dolphins' Pro Bowl Prospects
The Miami Dolphins are in the midst of a truly special season, but will that be reflected when the Pro Bowl rosters are announced Monday night?
The Dolphins have put themselves in position to land a playoff spot one year after going 5-11 and several players have contributed to their success, although only one appears to be a lock to be selected to the Pro Bowl.
That, of course, would be cornerback Xavien Howard, who actually is among the leading contenders for NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Howard leads the NFL in interceptions with nine and he forced a fumble during the 22-12 victory against the New England Patriots at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.
Howard ended up leading all AFC cornerbacks in the fan voting, which counts for one-third of the selection process along with voting from players and coaches.
One other Dolphins player led the AFC in fan voting at his position, and that was punter Matt Haack.
Based on stats, though, the reality is that Haack is a long shot to get the Pro Bowl nod because he ranks only 12th in the AFC in gross punting average at 44.6 yards and eighth in net punting average at 41.3. Haack's best ranking is in punts inside the 20, where he's second in the AFC with 23.
Here are the other Dolphins Pro Bowl candidates ranked by likelihood of selection:
DE Emmanuel Ogbah: Like Sanders, Ogbah's chances of getting his first Pro Bowl invitation were a lot better a few weeks back when he was in the midst of a sack streak, though he still should make it. Ogbah currently is third in the AFC in sacks with nine, trailing only Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt and Browns defensive end Myles Garrett. Ogbah also has three forced fumbles, including two that directly produced Dolphins touchdowns, and had the memorable 28-yard sack against Joe Flacco of the New York Jets back in October. It's the kind of play that sticks out in the minds of voters.
Kicker Jason Sanders: Sanders appeared to be a shoo-in just a couple of weeks ago, even though it was Rodrigo Blankenship of the Colts who led the fan voting all along and ultimately won it. And it's important to know that all voting ended Friday, so Sanders' miss against the Patriots on Sunday won't have an effect on his candidacy. What's not going to help is having Justin Tucker in the same conference. The stats for both kickers are fairly similar this season, though Sanders is the only regular AFC kicker without a missed extra point this season and he has made eight field goals of 50-plus yards compared to only three for Tucker, but Tucker has made the Pro Bowl four times and made a 55-yard game-winning field goal in the Monday night game four days before players and coaches voted. Blankenship, the bespectacled Colts rookie, is 29-for-32 on field goal attempts, but only two of those attempts are from 50 yards or beyond.
Return specialist Jakeem Grant: There's no question Grant is an elite returner, and he leads the AFC in punt return average at 11.5. But he's only had six opportunities on kickoff returns and that's going to hurt because the Pro Bowl roster features one return specialist and Andre Roberts of the Buffalo Bills leads the AFC with a 29.4-yard kickoff return average and is third in punt returns at 10.4, not that far behind Grant.
Linebacker Kyle Van Noy: The Dolphins defense definitely attracted a lot of attention throughout the season, and what makes Van Noy stand out is that he's one of 12 players in the NFL with at least two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries, and he's got six sacks to go along with that. Van Noy also will get points because of his reputation (coming over from New England) and his leadership role on what seemingly overnight became a very good defense.
Tight end Mike Gesicki: Gesicki has had a very productive 2020 season, but he's likely going to come up short against a very, very good field. Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce leads the NFL in receiving yards with 1,318 yards, so he's a lock. And how do you keep out the Raiders' Darren Waller, who the Dolphins will see Saturday night, with his 93 catches for 967 yards and eight touchdowns? Gesicki does lead all tight ends with his average of 13.68 yards per catch, but that won't be enough to get him a first Pro Bowl invitation.
Safety Eric Rowe: Rowe has been outstanding in coverage all season — yes, he struggled against Kelce, but everybody struggles against Kelce — but he's going to be hurt by the fact he's not necessarily a household name around the NFL and his two interceptions aren't going to jump out and grab anybody's attention.
Linebacker Jerome Baker: This is a long shot because Baker was pretty quiet for most of the season, but he's been on a tear lately and now finds himself with six sacks, tied with Van Noy for second on the team behind Ogbah. Baker isn't likely to make the Pro Bowl this year, but if nothing else, he's putting his name on the map.
