How on Earth did eight Steelers make this year’s Pro Bowl?
I’m feeling snarky as of late. Yes, the disappointment of waiting for players to report to Latrobe, Pennsylvania six months from now has me feeling the winter blues. There’s supposed to be some optimism, as football isn’t over just yet – of course I’m talking about the Super Bowl next weekend and not the sham of a game or “games” the Pro Bowl, er, Games, has become.
Tina Rivers wrote about how the NFL’s All-Star game has fallen from grace and is openly mocked these days. Yet, shouldn’t we be proud that eight Steelers are participating in this weekend’s events?
That all depends. Years ago, when the game was a “real game” and played the weekend following the Super Bowl, we could probably get more excited about the accolades for these players. But as Brian E. Roach said the most recent SCU Podcast, we should consider renaming the Pro Bowl to the “Who we can get to play Bowl”. That’s because the Pro Bowl moved up fill the gap between the conference championships and the Super Bowl. Due to the scheduling change years ago, the Super Bowl participants now sit this weekend out – and those teams generally field the most talent. (As they should, they’re about to play in the Super Bowl.)
The opt-outs from the Super Bowl combined with players opting out due to injury creates an influx of replacement players. That’s how the Steelers jumped from having four starters initially named to the Pro Bowl, to doubling their representation to eight. However, we should look into each player’s 2024 season and examine why they were still worthy of being acknowledged as among the best in the league: provided they are worthy, and not just a warm body who’s willing to participate!
Chris Boswell
Easily the most deserving of the Steelers named to the Pro Bowl, Boswell finally outgunned his longtime rival Justin Tucker for the honor. Boz went 41 of 44 on field goals this season and made all 35 of his extra point attempts.
His 41 field goals made was near the NFL record 44, as “The Wizard of Boz” led the NFL in scoring with 158 points. He was also named a first-team AP All-Pro.
Minkah Fitzpatrick
I’m as big of a Fitzpatrick fan as anyone, but this one feels like a legacy pick – although fan votes only account for 33% of the total consideration. That means other players, and coaches, total the other 66%, with enough of Fitzpatrick’s peers believing he was worthy of being named a starter for the AFC.
The 2024 season will mark Minkah’s fifth Pro Bowl nod and third in a row. His stats took a tip this season, with only a single interception and one forced fumble, though he appeared in all 17 games for the first time since the NFL expanded to a 17-game schedule in 2021. His 96 tackles tied for second-most in a single season during his career.
Cameron Heyward
Long snubbed by the Pro Bowl early throughout his career, Heyward is participating in his seventh appearance in eight seasons. He missed the calling in 2023 due to missing six games with injury, but bounced back in 2024 with eight sacks, a whopping 11 passes defensed, 12 tackles-for-loss and 20 QB hits.
Heyward was also named a first-team All-Pro and continues to cement his legacy as one of the NFL’s great defensive linemen.
T.J. Watt
11.5 sacks is a down season for Watt, who had 19 in 2023. However, he continued to terrorize opposing offenses, forcing a league-high six fumbles, 19 tackles-for-loss and 27 QB hits.
Watt will not participate in the Pro Bowl due to the ankle injury he sustained, and played on, throughout the final stretch of the season.
Miles Killebrew
Considered to be a “special teams ace”, Killebrew returns to the Pro Bowl as an alternate this season after making it as a starter last season. According to Steelers.com:
Killebrew, the Steelers special teams captain, had 13 special teams tackles, eight of them solo stops, which was tied for ninth most in the NFL this year.
He replaces New England Patriots special teamer Brenden Schooler, who is unable to participate due to injury.
Isaac Seumalo
Seumalo is making his first Pro Bowl appearance in his career, replacing Kansas City Chiefs guard Trey Smith.
According to Pro Football Focus, Seumalo allowed only two sacks and one quarterback hit in 2024. He appeared in 13 games during the 2024 season after missing the first four due to an injury.
Russell Wilson
Wilson is another late addition to the Pro Bowl, replacing Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who is unable to play due to an injury. It will be his tenth career appearance.
Wilson missed six games to start the 2024 season, but still completed 63.7% of his passes for 2,482 yards, 16 touchdowns and only five interceptions. He also rushed for two touchdowns.
Fans laughing about Wilson’s selection would be hard-pressed to argue his extrapolated stats for a full 17 games: 3,836 yards, 25 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. However, his extrapolated 51 sacks raises a lot of eyebrows.
Wilson is a likely legacy pick as a replacement. Lamar Jackson was also replaced by New England Patriots rookie QB Drake Maye, rounding out the three AFC passers along with Bengals QB Joe Burrow. Wilson and Maye edged out other AFC quarterbacks such as Justin Herbert, Aaron Rodgers, Bo Nix, and C.J. Stroud, all whom had an argument to be chosen over the former.
Patrick Queen
Queen has been named to his second consecutive Pro Bowl, replacing his former teammate, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith. While Queen led all Steelers with 129 combined tackles, he was far from the league’s high mark in that category, which goes to fellow Pro Bowler Zaire Franklin of the Indianapolis Colts with 173 tackles.
Within the AFC, Las Vegas Raiders linebacker (and former Steeler) Robert Spillane had a more statistically impressive season on a worse defense. Spillane finished the year with 91 solo tackles (Queen had 65), 158 combined tackles, two sacks (one more than Queen) and an equal number of passes defensed as Queen (7). He also forced 10 tackles-for-loss to Queen’s six.
Jets LB Jamien Sherwood also led the NFL with 98 solo tackles and 158 combined tackles. The difference between Sherwood, Spillane, and Queen can only be found in forced fumbles, in which Queen had two will the others had zero. However, Queen being added as a replacement still suggests that the fan vote and availability may have played a role in his selection.
