WATCH: Three-game absence costs Falcons TE Austin Hooper chance at Pro Bowl

Two Atlanta Falcons players -- wide receiver Julio Jones and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett -- made the initial Pro Bowl rosters when they were announced Tuesday night.

Both are very deserving of the honor. Falcons tight end Austin Hooper, however, didn't make the cut.

Jones will be making his seventh Pro Bowl appearance, including sixth in a row. Jarrett will be heading to the game for the first time in his five-year career.

It's really nice to see Jarrett receive this national recognition. Considering how poorly the Falcons defense has played at times, the average fan probably doesn't think the team deserved any defenders on the Pro Bowl team, but Jarrett was definitely deserving. Through 14 games, he has a career-high 65 combined, 10 tackles for loss and 13 quarterback hits with 5.5 sacks. Jarrett has also forced two fumbles this year.

With the Falcons tied for last place in the NFC South, it's hard to argue the team needed more representatives on the Pro Bowl team. But tight end Austin Hooper is a notable omission. When he went down with his MCL injury in Week 10, he was among the tight end leaders in just about every category.

Unfortunately, that injury kept Hooper out for three games, and it dropped him from the top of the statistical leader board.

But even with that three-game absence, Hooper has a career-best 660 receiving yards and six touchdowns this year. If he gets 11 more receptions in the final two games, he'll have a new best mark in that category as well.

Among tight ends, he's tied for third in touchdowns, fifth in receptions and sixth in receiving yards.

The thing that killed Hooper's candidacy the most, though, was the fact only two NFC tight ends made the Pro Bowl roster. In years past, there have been three and sometimes even four tight ends from each conference at the Pro Bowl. Hooper most certainly would have been included had the tight end field been expanded.

The two NFC tight ends that made the team were George Kittle and Zach Ertz, both of whom were very deserving. Still, had Hooper not gotten hurt, he may have possessed the argument to be one of the top two tight end choices in the NFC.

Austin Hooper a second alternate to the Pro Bowl at tight end, I’m told. Was destined to join Julio Jones and Grady Jarrett but got derailed three games by MCL sprain.
— vaughn mcclure (@vxmcclure23) December 18, 2019

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