Four Panthers Named Pro Bowl Alternates

Brown, Burns, Hekker, and Jansen await a call to Orlando.

Author:
Matt Alquiza
Jan 4, 2024 9:13 AM EST

In this story:

The afternoon of February 4th just opened up for Panthers fans.

On Wednesday night, the NFL announced the AFC and NFC Pro Bowl rosters. No Panthers made the cut. However, defensive tackle Derrick Brown (first alternate) outside linebacker Brian Burns (second alternate), punter Johnny Hekker (third alternate), and JJ Jansen (third alternate) will hope for some dropouts to get their call to play in the Pro Bowl game the week before Super Bowl LVIII.

Brown, first alternate behind Aaron Donald (Rams), Dexter Lawrence (Giants), and Javon Hargrave (49ers) is the most likely to earn a spot via dropout.

Part of the Pro Bowl selection is decided by a fan vote, and per the numbers released by the NFL today, not a single Panthers player was in the top ten players voted at their position.

For a team sporting a 2-14 record heading into week 18, this isn't too shocking. The last time Carolina didn't send a single player to the Pro Bowl was 2020 when the Matt Rhule and Teddy Bridgewater led outfit finished 5-11 in the COVID stricken season.

Carolina joins Washington, New England, and Green Bay as teams without a player named to the initial Pro Bowl roster. The San Francisco 49ers led the initial Pro Bowl voting selection with nine players named to the 2023 roster.