Inside The Vikings

With 49ers Advancing, C.J. Ham is Headed to Second Career Pro Bowl

Ham replaces Kyle Juszczyk as the NFC's Pro Bowl fullback for the second time.
Will Ragatz|
With 49ers Advancing, C.J. Ham is Headed to Second Career Pro Bowl
With 49ers Advancing, C.J. Ham is Headed to Second Career Pro Bowl

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Minnesota Vikings

For the second time in five years, C.J. Ham is headed to the Pro Bowl because the most famous and productive fullback in the NFC will be busy playing in the Super Bowl.

The 49ers defeated the Lions in the NFC championship game on Sunday, meaning Kyle Juszczyk won't be able to participate in the Pro Bowl. So Ham, who was selected as the top alternate at the position, will take his place. The same thing happened after the 2019 season, when the 49ers lost to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV. Coincidentally, this year's Super Bowl is a rematch between those two teams.

Ham can now say he's a two-time Pro Bowler, which is a pretty cool resume for the Duluth native who went undrafted out of D-II Augustana in Sioux Falls, SD. He made the Vikings' roster in 2016 after attending rookie minicamp as a tryout player. Eight years later, he's 30 years old, a team captain, and the longest-tenured player on Minnesota's offense. Last offseason, he signed an extension that keeps him under contract through the 2025 campaign.

Even as the importance of the fullback position has faded across the NFL, players like Juszczyk and Ham are still valuable to their teams. Juszczyk's usage and production are unparalleled at the position, but he's not the only fullback left in the league.

This season, Ham played 219 snaps on offense and 242 on special teams. He only touched the ball eight times, but he filled a big role as a pass protector out of the backfield on obvious passing downs.

Ham joins Danielle Hunter and Andrew DePaola as the Vikings' representatives at this weekend's Pro Bowl games.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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